NEW DELHI: Former Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa has said that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman never personally claimed to have shot down a Pakistani F-16 during the February 2019 India-Pakistan aerial engagement.
The statement has renewed attention on one of the most disputed claims arising from the February 27, 2019 air battle following India’s Balakot strikes. Abhinandan was flying a MiG-21 Bison when his aircraft was shot down and he was captured by Pakistani forces.
India subsequently claimed that Abhinandan had shot down a Pakistani F-16 during the engagement. Pakistan denied losing any aircraft, while the circumstances surrounding the alleged F-16 loss have remained disputed.
Dhanoa’s reported clarification is significant because it distinguishes Abhinandan’s own account from the wider institutional claim attributed to the Indian Air Force. The former IAF chief was serving as Air Chief Marshal during the 2019 confrontation.
Abhinandan survived the crash and was returned to India on March 1, 2019, after being held by Pakistan for roughly 60 hours. He was later awarded the Vir Chakra, India’s third-highest wartime gallantry award.
The F-16 claim has remained controversial. A U.S. assessment reported in 2019 found no evidence of a missing Pakistani F-16, while India continued to maintain that an F-16 had been shot down. The IAF subsequently released what it described as radar and other evidence supporting its claim.
Dhanoa’s latest remarks therefore add another dimension to the long-running debate over what exactly happened during the aerial engagement and whether the claim of an F-16 kill was based on Abhinandan’s own testimony or on the IAF’s assessment of the battle.
