IAF chief RKS Bhadauria flies MiG-21 in Srinagar on Balakot airstrike anniversary

ANI photo

To mark the first anniversary of the Balakot airstrikes, Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Wednesday (February 26) flew the MiG-21 aircraft of the 51 Squadron from Srinagar airbase.

He will be flying in the same formation as when Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman' took sortie in 2019 and downed a Pakistani F-16 aircraft during aerial combat.

The IAF chief himself flew a MiG-21 Bison aircraft with Commanding Officer Group Captain Nazeer and two Mirage-2000 and two Sukhoi-30MKI jets.

The 51 Squadron is the same unit that was activated following the Balakot airstrikes last year and Wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman was a part of it.

The air skirmish on February 26 in 2019 between India and Pakistan was in retaliation to the attack on terror camps in Balakot inside Pakistan. The Balakot airstrikes were carried out in the aftermath of Pulwama terror attack on February 14 in 2019 which killed as many as 40 CRPF jawans.