There’s a “good chance” of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman returning to a fighter cockpit soon but the final clearance will be given by the Bengaluru-based Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM) where the 35-year-old will undergo a series of tests in the coming weeks, two Indian Air Force officials with direct knowledge of the matter said on the condition of anonymity.
Varthaman created military aviation history by shooting down a Pakistani F-16 during a dogfight with the Pakistan Air Force over the Line of Control on February 27, seconds before his own MiG-21 Bison was hit by a missile forcing him to eject. Experts have hailed it as the first ever kill of an F-16 by a MiG-21 Bison, fighter jets of two different generations. He could be recommended for a Vir Chakra, India’s third-highest war-time gallantry award, HT learns.
The aerial skirmish took place a day after Indian Mirage 2000s struck targets in Pakistan’s Balakot in response to the Pulwama suicide attack in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force men were killed on February 14.
He is likely to be assigned “light ground duties” before moving to the IAM for the final clearance for fighter flying, the second official added. Varthaman’s wife Squadron Leader Tanvi Marwah (retd) and their seven-year-old son Tavish are with him in Srinagar.
Read more of this in a report by Rahul Singh published in Hindustan Times...
