The nation is celebrating the return of Wing Commander Abhinandan

Varthaman to India on Friday after two days in Pakistani custody. We

wish him an early return to the cockpit for that is what he would want.
He is the first combat pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF) to shoot down
an F-16. He flew the first MiG-21 to achieve this feat. Varthaman was
part of an IAF team that, through timely intervention, repulsed a
Pakistani air raid into the Indian side of the Line of Control in Kashmir
on Wednesday. In the process, the IAF defenders also managed to
destroy a valuable air asset of Pakistan, an F-16, possibly a two-seater
that is hard to replace. Also, media reported that the pilot of the F-16
was killed. If true, that would be a great loss to the Pakistan Air Force.
The MiG-21 Bison, although the most advanced variant of the aircraft,
is not a match against the F-16, designed as an ‘”Air Superiority
Fighter.” For decades, the IAF has been conveying its concern to the
government about the depleting strength of its combat squadrons. It
had projected an urgent need for 100 combat aircraft , the acquisition
of which is yet to be approved. IAF’s SU-30 MKIs are two decades old
and require upgrading. Regrettably, a complex acquisition process and
politicization of every acquisition has stalled the government from
taking a decision. Pakistan, a much weaker economy, has managed it
better. The belief that there won’t be any war seems to have made us
complacent. When will the government decide and sign a contract? It
would take at least five years after a contract is signed to get an
upgrade. In the meanwhile, we have to manage with what we have,
perhaps for another decade. The governments that stalled the process
year after year and delayed our modernisation programme are directly
responsible. At times, a significant portion of the budget allocated to
modernisation is returned unspent. But today is not the time for o a
blame game. We must have faith our current assets and our action
plans.
On Wednesday’s dogfight over the LoC, the MiG-21 Bison is a potent
weapon system that has nearly all the capabilities of the F-16, and in an
air defence role, it carries similar weapons as the F-16 does. But, the
Bison is less manoeuvrable than the F-16. BIison pilots practice combat
against the Mirage-2000 and are tested periodically. On occasions, they
get the opportunity of training against F-16s from friendly foreign air
forces Our Bison operational pilots are a confident bunch and are well-
trained. In addition, the Air Force has professional Institutions like the
Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) that
oversees squadron training. Squadrons are evaluated annually for their
skills and abilities.Any corrective actions that are needed are firmly
implemented.
In an operational scenario, the Commander decides on the strategy
and tactics to follow given the area of responsibility and the force at his
disposal. Typically the plan would be to mix a highly manoeuvrable
aircraft like the SU-30 MKI, the MiG-29 or the Mirage-2000 with the
MiG-21 Bison in an air defence missions. They do combat in a
coordinated manner in a fast developing aerial situation. The PAF also
has a limited number of F-16 and had to combine the aircraft with
others in its fleet in air missions. Air battles are usually intensely and
are over in a matter of minutes. Decisions are made in split seconds.
The LoC is a difficult terrain and from the air, the border between
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Jammu and Kashmir is not easily
distinguishable. While chasing enemy planes, it is possible to cross the
LoC inadvertently. I believe that once a fighter pilot sets his eyes on his
target, which is often hard to come by, he would not take his eyes off it.
We do not know yet about what hit Varthaman’s aircraft. Was it
ground fire? Or a surface-to-air missile? Or a missile launched in air?
The AIM-120 missile evidence that Indian forces have picked shows
that the missile had been fired. Quite likely that it was aimed at IAF
aircraft. Now that Varthaman is back, the IAF would be eventually
debriefing him on the details.
s observers and as citizens, we need to have patience and trust the
government and our military to get on with what they ought to do.
Public opinion would always prevail. For now, it must be supportive
and not demoralize those who face the brunt.