New Delhi [India], August 14 (ANI): As Independence Day festivities begin, the Centre on Thursday awarded the Vir Chakra to nine Indian Air Force (IAF) officers for their bravery during Operation Sindoor.
The recipients, including fighter pilots, were honored for targeting terrorist group headquarters in Pakistan’s Muridke and Bahawalpur, as well as the neighboring country’s military assets. Those awarded are Group Captains Ranjeet Singh Sidhu, Manish Arora, Animesh Patni, and Kunal Kalra; Wing Commander Joy Chandra; Squadron Leaders Sarthak Kumar, Siddhant Singh, and Rizwan Malik; and Flight Lieutenant Aarshveer Singh Thakur.
The IAF brought down at least six Pakistani aircraft during the operation. The Vir Chakra is a wartime military decoration awarded for gallantry on the battlefield, ranking third after the Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra.
This recognition follows Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh’s statement that India took down at least five Pakistani fighter jets during Operation Sindoor, as well as one large aircraft from a distance of about 300 kilometers — the largest recorded surface-to-air kill to date.
“We have at least five fighters confirmed kills and one large aircraft, which could be either an ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) aircraft or an AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) aircraft, which was taken on at a distance of about 300 kilometers. This is actually the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill that we can talk about,” the IAF Chief said during the 16th edition of the Air Chief Marshal L.M. Katre Memorial Lecture on Saturday.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 as a decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. The Indian Armed Forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, killing over 100 terrorists. India repelled the subsequent Pakistani retaliation and struck its airbases. (ANI)
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