Vir Chakra Hero Abhinandan Varthaman Leaves IAF, Joins Private Airline

Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman, the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot who was awarded the Vir Chakra for shooting down a Pakistani F-16 during an aerial engagement over the Line of Control (LoC) in February 2019, has retired from the IAF and joined a private airline, officials familiar with the development said on Wednesday.

Varthaman left the IAF on March 31 and subsequently joined regional carrier Fly91, the officials said, requesting anonymity.

From IAF pilot to commercial airline

The aerial engagement involving Varthaman took place a day after IAF Mirage-2000 fighter jets struck targets in Pakistan’s Balakot in response to the February 14, 2019, Pulwama suicide bombing that killed 40 CRPF personnel.

Varthaman was a Wing Commander at the time. Then 35, he was involved in the February 27 dogfight in which his MiG-21 Bison engaged Pakistani aircraft.

He was credited with shooting down a Pakistani F-16 before his own aircraft was struck by a missile, forcing him to eject over Pakistani territory. He was subsequently captured by Pakistani forces.

Pakistan released Varthaman on March 1, 2019, after he spent nearly 60 hours in captivity, and he returned to India amid widespread public attention.

Vir Chakra citation

The Vir Chakra is India’s third-highest wartime gallantry award, after the Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra.

Varthaman’s citation, published in the Gazette of India in December 2019, praised his courage in engaging Pakistani aircraft despite their “immense numerical and technological superiority”.

According to the citation, his aggressive manoeuvres disrupted the enemy formation and forced the opposing aircraft into tactical confusion.

At the time, Varthaman was serving with a MiG-21 Bison squadron and was deployed on operational readiness duty at Air Force Station Srinagar. A large Pakistani fighter aircraft formation was detected approaching the LoC, and he was scrambled to intercept it approximately five minutes after the formation was detected.

How Abhinandan shot down the F-16

The official citation said Varthaman pursued a retreating Pakistani fighter aircraft and engaged it in aerial combat, during which he shot down an F-16.

“However, in the melee, one of the enemy aircraft fired multiple advanced BVR missiles, one of which hit his aircraft forcing him to eject in enemy territory,” the citation said.

Varthaman’s February 2019 aerial engagement and subsequent capture made him one of the most recognisable faces of the Balakot aftermath. His decision to leave the IAF and move into commercial aviation marks a new chapter in the career of the decorated fighter pilot.