Abhinandan Worthman: Indian Air Force pilot awarded third highest military honor in the country for shooting down Pakistani F-16.
Indian President Ram Nath Kavand on Monday conferred the country's third highest military honor, the Veer Chakra, on Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Worthman for the downing of a Pakistan Air Force F-16 in February 2019.
It is to be noted that Pakistan has repeatedly denied this Indian claim while the American magazine Foreign Policy had stated in its report that the US Department of Defense personnel had counted the number of Pakistani F-16s and they were complete.
The statement by US officials refuted the Indian claim that the Indian Air Force had shot down a Pakistani F-16 during a skirmish near Balakot in February. Following the Foreign Policy confirmation report, a Pakistani military spokesman said it was time for India to tell the truth about its losses.
Abhinandan Worthman has recently been promoted from Wing Commander to Group Captain.
Two years ago, on February 26, India dropped a bomb on the Pakistani territory of Balakot, which it claimed was an attack on the campuses of jihadi groups. However, Pakistan said the attacks were not on any camp and no one was killed.
The next day, during a retaliatory operation by the Pakistan Air Force, the plane of Abhinandan Worthman, who was flying the Indian MiG-21, was shot down and Abhinandan was arrested from Pakistani territory where he remained in custody for 60 hours.
Indian officials have repeatedly claimed that they shot down a Pakistani F-16 after the incident, exaggerating the "feat" as the first time a MiG-21 has shot down an F-16. Be destroyed It should be noted that the MiG-21 is an old fighter jet and its combat capability is much less than that of the F-16.
Abhinandan Worthman was the Wing Commander at the time of the incident and was announced to be awarded the Veer Chakra in August 2019.
"He (Abhinandan) was associated with the Indian MiG-21 Bison Squadron in Srinagar when he saw Pakistani aircraft approaching Indian territory, he said. He flew to fight.
The statement claimed that they chased the Pakistani plane and shot down an F-16.
The statement added, "But in this battle, another enemy aircraft fired sophisticated missiles which damaged their aircraft and they had to parachute into the enemy controlled area."
Was any Pakistani plane crashed?
Indian Air Force officials said in a statement regarding the clash that Indian pilot wing commander Abhinandan Worthman, who was targeted by Pakistani planes, shot down a Pakistani F-16 before his plane crashed.
Pakistan has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Commenting on the report of the American magazine, the then head of the Pakistan Army's public relations department said, "This has been the position of Pakistan and this is the truth."
Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor said, "India's claims about the attack and its aftermath are also false and it is time for India to know the truth about the damage it has done, including the destruction of its second plane at the hands of Pakistan." They said.
A report released by Foreign Policy in April 2019 states that it is possible that Abhinandan, who flew the MiG-21 bison, targeted the Pakistani F-16 and actually assumed that he shot down the plane. ۔
But the count by US officials in Pakistan called into question New Delhi's rhetoric and suggested that perhaps the Indian authorities had misled the foreign community about what happened that day.
The magazine quoted a senior US defense official with knowledge of the counting process as saying that Pakistan had invited the United States to visit the F-16s in person, in accordance with an agreement reached on the sale and use of foreign military aircraft. Count the planes.
Such agreements usually require the United States to have the purchasing country inspect the equipment regularly by US authorities to ensure that the equipment is counted and secured.
According to Foreign Policy Magazine, the evidence points to the fact that Pakistani F-16s were involved in a skirmish with Indian aircraft.
The remains of a US-made AIM-20 missile were found at the scene, and according to Foreign Policy Magazine, of all the fighter jets, only the F-16 is capable of firing such a missile.