Abhinandan Varthaman, Indian Air Force Wing Commander
The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday promoted Wing Commander ace pilot Abhinandan Varthaman to the rank of Group Captain. The officer received a Shaurya Chakra for his role in the February 2019 airstrike against terrorist camps in Pakistan.
Abhinandan Varthaman has been cleared for promotion to the rank of group captain by the IAF and will take up his new rank shortly, sources told ANI news agency.
The group captain is equivalent to a colonel in the Indian army.
The officer’s MiG-21 fighter plane was shot down after he shot down the F-16 and landed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), but was taken prisoner by the Pakistani military after his plane was shot down by enemy forces.
Due to strong pressure from the Indian side and international intervention in this matter, the Pakistani army was forced to release Abhinandan.
He was part of Srinagar-based 51 Squadron and had flown to thwart an airstrike launched by the Pakistanis on February 27, 2019.
India launched an airstrike against a Pakistani terrorist installation in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region led by Jaish e Mohammed.
(with ANI inputs)
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