NEW DELHI: Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, the Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter pilot who gained fame for shooting down a Pakistan Air Force's F-16 in a dog fight in 2019 has been approved for the rank of Group Captain which is equivalent to a Colonel in the Indian Army.
"He had cleared his board and now he has been promoted. All who had cleared the board have been promoted," said a government official.
It is to be mentioned here that Varthaman had taken to the skies his MiG-21 Bison jet on February 27, 2019, a day after the Balakot Air Strike and tried to stop a fleet of invading PAF fighter jets.
Earlier in 2019, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has started flying the MiG 21 again after he was declared medically fit from injuries sustained while ejecting from the fighter jet that was hit by a Pakistani missile on February 27, 2019.
During his attack on the Pakistan Air Force fighter jet, he was caught by Pakistan as his Mig-21 crashed on the grounds of Pakistan. It was only on March 1 when the Wing Commander was freed and was handed over to India at the Wagah-Attari border. Abhinandan, on being detained in Pakistan and the situation triggering a war-like condition between the two countries compelled Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to announce it the following day that Pakistan will release him.
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