Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman, who became widely known after the 2019 aerial combat with Pakistan and was awarded the Vir Chakra, has retired from the Indian Air Force and joined a private airline, officials familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
Varthaman left the IAF on March 31 and subsequently joined regional carrier Fly91, the officials said.
The 2019 dogfight over LoC
Varthaman was a Wing Commander when he took part in the aerial engagement on February 27, 2019, a day after Indian Air Force Mirage-2000 fighter jets carried out strikes on targets in Pakistan’s Balakot.
The operation followed the February 14 Pulwama suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.
During the February 27 engagement, Varthaman was flying a MiG-21 Bison. He pursued and shot down a Pakistani F-16 before his own aircraft was struck by a missile, forcing him to eject over Pakistani territory.
The engagement was hailed by military aviation experts as the first reported instance of an F-16 being shot down by a MiG-21 Bison.
Captured after ejecting from aircraft
After ejecting, Varthaman was captured by Pakistani forces. He was handed back to India on March 1, 2019, after spending nearly 60 hours in captivity.
His actions during the encounter later earned him the Vir Chakra, India’s third-highest wartime gallantry award, after the Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra.
What his Vir Chakra citation said
According to the citation published in the Gazette of India in December 2019, Varthaman engaged the Pakistani aircraft formation despite its “immense numerical and technological superiority”.
He had been posted with a MiG-21 Bison squadron and was on operational readiness duty at Air Force Station Srinagar when a large Pakistan Air Force formation was detected moving towards the Line of Control.
He was scrambled five minutes after the formation was detected and went after a retreating enemy fighter.
“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 move to a private airline marks a new phase in his career after more than seven years since the aerial combat that brought him international attention.