Wing Commander Abhinandan Flies MiG-21 With Air Chief Dhanoa

According to IAF sources, the sortie lasted for around half-an-hour and was conducted on a trainer MiG-21 aircraft.

Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa and Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman flew in the trainer version of the MiG-21 Type 69 fighter Aircraft, earlier today/ ANI

New Delhi: Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman on Monday flew a sortie on a MiG-21 fighter aircraft along with Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa. "The sortie was flown from the Pathankot air base in Punjab. Abhinandan had been cleared for flying last month following a thorough medical check-up," a senior IAF officer told IANS. According to IAF sources, the sortie lasted for around half-an-hour and was conducted on a trainer MiG-21 aircraft. Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa and Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman flew in the trainer version of the MiG-21 Type 69 fighter Aircraft. This was also the last sortie of the IAF Chief in a combat aircraft. News agency ANI tweeted a footage of the IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa and Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman moving towards the MiG-21 before their sortie earlier today. Watch here:

#WATCH Pathankot: IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa and Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman moving towards the MiG-21 before their sortie earlier today. #Punjab pic.twitter.com/Rz9KJVJVWi

— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2019

Abhinandan Varthaman started flying the MiG-21 in August after he was declared medically fit from injuries he sustained while ejecting from a fighter jet that was hit by a Pakistani missile on February 27. He had been barred from flying after February 27 owing to injuries sustained during the incident in which he had landed across the border on the Pakistani side. The Indian Air Force Chief is also a MiG-21 pilot and had flown the planes during the 1999 Kargil war while commanding the 17 Squadron, during the war. The Institute of Aerospace Medicine had declared Abhinandan medically fit in August. For the gallantry displayed by Varthaman in the face of enemy fire during the dogfight with a Pakistani F-16 on February 27, he was awarded with the Vir Chakra on Independence Day this year.