Abhinandan Varthaman: News

12 Apr 2023

Indian Air Force

#NewsBytesExplainer: Why IAF officer was dismissed over 'friendly fire' accident

A General Court Martial (GCM) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) recommended the dismissal of Group Captain Suman Roy Chowdhury, former Chief Operations Officer (COO) of the Srinagar Air Force Station.

20 Sep 2022

Indian Air Force

Abhinandan Varthaman's MiG-21 Squadron retiring by September end

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is planning to retire a major squadron of MiG-21 fighter planes soon.

22 Nov 2021

Narendra Modi

Abhinandan Varthaman, who shot down Pakistani jet, conferred Vir Chakra

Indian Air Force Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman on Monday received the Vir Chakra from President Ram Nath Kovind.

08 Oct 2019

India

Air Force Day: Abhinandan Varthaman leads MiG-21 Bison formation

India's hero, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, took to the skies on Tuesday, the 87th Air Force Day, as he led a formation of MiG-21 Bison over Hindon airbase.

06 Oct 2019

Pulwama

Abhinandan's 51 Squadron to get citation for downing Pakistan's F-16

The Chief of Indian Air Force, Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, will award a unit citation to 51 Squadron, to which Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman belonged.

02 Sep 2019

Pakistan News

Abhinandan Varthaman flies with IAF Chief: Details here

Wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who brought down an F-16 of Pakistan in February, flew with IAF Chief BS Dhanoa from the Pathankot airbase for some 30 minutes on Monday.

22 Aug 2019

Indian Army

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman back in cockpit, starts flying MiG-21

Six months ago, Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman sustained grave injuries during an aerial combat between Indian and Pakistani forces.

14 Aug 2019

Pakistan News

Abhinandan Varthaman to be conferred Vir Chakra on Independence Day

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who scripted history in February by shooting an F-16 aircraft of Pakistan while flying a MiG-21 Bison, will be awarded the Vir Chakra on Independence Day, Thursday.

09 Aug 2019

India

IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman declared fit, to resume flying soon

Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was captured by the Pakistan Army in February, is set to resume flying soon.

25 Jul 2019

iOS

This game by IAF lets you fly their helicopters, planes

Gaming lovers, rejoice!

16 May 2019

Indian Air Force

Meet the 21-year-old graduate who designs IAF's squadron patches

Recently, the MiG-21 Bison Squadron of the Indian Air Force (IAF), were given special uniform patches commemorating the dogfight in which Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman famously shot down an F-16 jet of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on February 27 this year.

21 Apr 2019

Narendra Modi

If Abhinandan hadn't returned, Pakistan would have faced consequences: Modi

Addressing a rally at Patan in his home state Gujarat on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had warned Pakistan of consequences if they hadn't released Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

21 Apr 2019

Indian Air Force

IAF recommends Abhinandan Varthaman for Vir Chakra for downing F-16

The Indian Air Force has recommended Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman for Vir Chakra, the third highest gallantry award in the military during the war, for downing an F-16 in a dogfight in February.

11 Apr 2019

India

43 days after airstrikes, Pakistan takes media to Balakot

On Wednesday, Pakistan took a bunch of international media personnel and foreign diplomats to a seminary in Balakot, which was attacked by Indian Air Force jets on February 26.

09 Apr 2019

India

F-16 kill: IAF presents radar images, but Pakistan denies claims

On Monday, the Pakistani Army continued to remain in a state of denial as it reiterated that Indian Air Force (IAF) didn't shoot down an F-16 jet in the February 27 dogfight.

08 Apr 2019

Pakistan News

IAF nails Pakistan's lies, says Abhinandan Varthaman shot down F-16

Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor held a press briefing on Monday in which he confirmed that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman shot down an F-16 jet of PAF on February 27.

06 Apr 2019

Indian Air Force

Pentagon isn't aware that US "counted" F-16s in Pakistan

A day after Foreign Policy published a report claiming the US "counted" F-16s given to Pakistan and none of them were found missing, the Pentagon said it wasn't aware of any such investigation.

06 Apr 2019

Pakistan News

Dismissing US report, IAF proves Abhinandan Varthaman shot down F-16

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Friday reiterated its claim that a Pakistani F-16 jet was shot down during aerial combat on February 27 near Nowshera area.

05 Apr 2019

India

US report claims IAF didn't down Pakistani F-16. Cover-up much?

Weeks after India and Pakistan indulged in aerial combat, a US publication has contradicted IAF's claim that it shot down a Pakistani F-16.

27 Mar 2019

Chennai

Abhinandan Varthaman, on sick leave, chooses to stay with squadron

Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who is on a four-week sick leave, has reportedly returned to his squadron in Jammu & Kashmir's Srinagar.

21 Mar 2019

Pakistan News

J&K: 24-year-old rifleman martyred after Pakistan violates ceasefire in Rajouri

An army soldier was martyred on Thursday after Pakistani troops violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in Rajouri district of Jammu & Kashmir.

14 Mar 2019

India

Kartarpur corridor: India, Pakistan hold first meeting; release joint statement

Amid bitter relations between India and Pakistan, officials from both the countries met on the Indian side of Attari-Wagah border on Thursday to discuss modalities for setting up the Kartarpur corridor.

08 Mar 2019

Pakistan News

Rajasthan: IAF's MiG-21 crashes, pilot ejects safely

A MiG-21 fighter jet of Indian Air Force crashed near Nal in Rajasthan on Friday. The pilot ejected safely, the IAF said in a statement.

07 Mar 2019

Pakistan News

Abhinandan Varthaman was choked, beaten in Pakistan during captivity: Report

The first 24 hours of captivity in Pakistan were terrible for Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman as the officials from the other side of border tried to extract crucial information from him regarding "Indian troop deployment, high-security radio frequencies and sensitive logistics," reports HT.

05 Mar 2019

India

Rajasthan Education Minister wants lesson on Abhinandan Varthaman in schoolbooks

Rajasthan Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasra today said that he wants state government wants to include a lesson on Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman in the school textbooks.

04 Mar 2019

India

Abhinandan's gunslinger mooch is a rage among Indian youth, men

The hero of the nation, Indian Air Force Wing Commander, Abhinandan Varthaman, returned to the country last week, and Indians have not stopped celebrating since.

04 Mar 2019

Indian Air Force

We don't count casualties, government does that: IAF Chief

Almost a week after Indian Air Force jets demolished Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest camp in Pakistan's Balakot, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa said they don't count the number of human casualties.

03 Mar 2019

Iran

Wondering where Abhinandan Varthaman got indomitable strength from? His mother

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman returned to his motherland on Friday after spending almost three days in Pakistan's captivity.

03 Mar 2019

India

Will Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman be able to fly again?

The week gone by has been tumultuous for the nation. The capture of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman and his release on Friday evoked million of emotions among countrymen.

02 Mar 2019

India

Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visits Abhinandan Varthaman in Delhi hospital

Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman at a Delhi hospital where he was taken after Pakistan released him. She told him India is proud of his courage and determination.

02 Mar 2019

Pakistan News

Poonch: Pakistan's ceasefire violation kills mother, her two minor kids

On Friday night, Pakistan violated ceasefire in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir killing three members of the same family and seriously injuring two others. A nine-month-old baby was among the ones who lost their lives.

Pakistani minister wants Nobel Peace Prize for Imran Khan

On Saturday, Pakistan's Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry moved a motion in National Assembly, calling for a Nobel Peace Prize for the country's Prime Minister Imran Khan for the efforts he took to "deescalate tensions" with India.

02 Mar 2019

Pakistan News

Pakistan uses F-16 against India, US seeks more information

After Pakistan used F-16 jets to target military installments in India earlier this week, the United States is seeking more information.

02 Mar 2019

Rajasthan

To honor IAF-pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, family names newborn after him

A baby born yesterday evening, when IAF pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was about to be released by Pakistan, was named after him by a family in Rajasthan's Alwar district.

02 Mar 2019

India

#NewsBytesExclusive: Defense expert Abhijit Iyer-Mitra on the latest India-Pakistan episode

While the India-Pakistan relations have always been strained, a series of latest events triggered by the Pulwama attack escalated tensions between both the countries.

02 Mar 2019

India

Pakistan's propaganda video delayed Abhinandan Varthaman's release

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman's return to India was delayed due to the heavily edited video, which Pakistan released just an hour before he crossed over the border, claimed reports.

01 Mar 2019

India

Welcome home hero: Abhinandan Varthaman crosses border to enter India

After an inordinate delay, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman entered India by crossing the Wagah Border, a short while ago.

01 Mar 2019

Pakistan News

Driven by Modi hatred, Opposition is helping Pakistan: PM

Few parties are helping Pakistan with their statements, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday in Tamil Nadu while addressing a rally.

01 Mar 2019

India

Rakhi Sawant is willing to destroy Pakistan with 50-100 bombs

The ongoing cross border tension between India and Pakistan has led to a surge in patriotism among Indians.

01 Mar 2019

Pakistan News

Indian pilot's release by Pak 'very much welcomed' step: UN

The release of an Indian pilot by Pakistan would be a "very much welcomed step", spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres said yesterday, stressing that the message to India and Pakistan from the world body and the international community is to de-escalate tensions.

01 Mar 2019

Pakistan News

#AbhinandanMyHero: Wing Commander's parents get standing ovation on flight

On realizing that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman's parents were traveling with them on a Delhi-bound flight, passengers cheered, clapped and gave them a standing ovation.

01 Mar 2019

Pakistan News

Masood Azhar is in Pakistan, but "very unwell": Pakistan Minister

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while speaking to CNN, confirmed Jaish-e-Mohammed's chief Masood Azhar was in his country but stressed he was "very unwell".

28 Feb 2019

Indian Army

IAF officer busts Pakistan's lies, says F-16 was shot

Indian Army's Major General Surendra Singh Mahal, Navy's Rear Admiral Dalbir Singh Gujral and Air Force's AVM RGK Kapoor addressed the media a short while ago.

28 Feb 2019

India

Government asks YouTube to remove clips of captured IAF pilot

With photos and videos of captured Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman doing the rounds on social media, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had asked Google-owned video-streaming platform YouTube to remove 11 video links pertaining to Varthaman.

28 Feb 2019

India

Imran Khan promises to release IAF pilot Abhinandan tomorrow

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said he will release IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman on Friday as a gesture of peace towards India.

28 Feb 2019

India

Pakistan offers IAF pilot's return to ease tension; India refuses

On Thursday, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that Islamabad was willing to return captured Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman if it eased tensions with India.

28 Feb 2019

India

He's a true soldier: Abhinandan Varthaman's father praises son's bravery

The father of wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was captured by Pakistan on Wednesday after he crossed over to the wrong side of LoC post fierce air combat, has said his son is a true soldier.

28 Feb 2019

Narendra Modi

India demands safe and immediate return of IAF pilot

The government asked Pakistan to ensure an immediate and safe return of an IAF pilot the neighboring country captured after air combat on Wednesday morning.

27 Feb 2019

India

Amid rising Indo-Pak tension, Delhi Metro put on high alert

Amid the escalating tension between India and Pakistan, a red alert was issued by DMRC on Wednesday evening.