Minus handlebar moustache, Abhinandan flies with Air chief

Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 2

Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa and Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, the IAF pilot who became the face of a tense military confrontation between India and Pakistan in February, on Monday flew a MiG-21 fighter jet here.

Varthaman started flying the MiG-21 about two weeks ago, nearly six months after sustaining injuries while ejecting from a fighter plane during an aerial combat between India and Pakistan on February 27.

They took off a sortie on the MiG-21 jet from the Pathankot air base at 11.30 am.

The Wing Commander was without his signature ‘gunslinger’ moustache.

The moustache had led to commercials being made both in India and Pakistan. Several youths had started sporting the Abhinandan-style moustache.

This was the last sortie of the IAF chief in MiG-21 jet before he retires this month. 

The IAF chief has been a MiG-21 pilot, a plane that he flew during the Kargil conflict (May-July 1999)

Abhinandan, who was recently awarded the Vir Chakra for shooting down a Pakistan Air Force fighter during a dog fight on February 27, was recently cleared to return for fighter flying after a medical examination.

The IAF has five squadrons of the Russian-made MiG-21 fighters. Of these, four comprise the upgraded MiG-21 Bison fighter jets. All five are likely to be decommissioned soon.

Wing Commander Abhinandan was taken captive by Pakistan on February 27 after he was shot down over Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

The IAF needs at least 42 squadrons of fighter jets to maintain a credible deterrence along the western and northern borders, but has only 31 squadrons as of now.