No. 51 Squadron IAF

No.51 Squadron was initially raised in AFS Chandigarh in 1985, then being equipped with Mig-21 Type 75 variant which later went on to be upgraded to the Mig-21 Bison variant. The squadron was shortly relocated to AFS Srinagar.[3]

No. 51 Squadron "Sword Arms"On 27 February 2019, Varthaman was flying a MiG-21 as a part of a sortie that was scrambled to intercept Pakistani aircraft who were participating in Operation Swift Retort . In the dogfight that ensued, he crossed into Pakistani airspace in Sabzkot sector where he was shot down by a PAF F16. Abhinandan after getting hit, safely ejected and descended in the village of Horran in Pakistan administered Kashmir, approximately 7km from the Line of Control.

According to local villager, Varthaman could be identified as an Indian pilot by the Indian flag on his parachute. Upon landing, Varthaman asked the villagers if he was in India to which one of the quick thinking boy said yes. Abhinandhan then responded with Indian slogans. When he unbuckled himself from the parachute, the villagers suddenly shouted "Pakistan Zindabad" and started chasing him. Varthman ran for approximately 500 metres while constantly firing warning shots at the villagers to a small pond, where he attempted to sink and swallow some of his documents. Subsequently, he was captured and manhandled by the villagers before being rescued by the Pakistan Army.

Later that day, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs claimed that IAF had shot down a Pakistani F-16 and an Indian pilot was missing in action after a MiG-21 Bison fighter plane was lost while engaging with Pakistani jets. Pakistan rejected the claim of the F16 and displayed remnants of all four missiles still unfired from the mig-21.[4] [5] [6]