Wing Commander Abhinandan Will Fly Fighter Jets Depending On His Fitness, Says Air Force Chief

Ending speculations over the future of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who is still recovering in a military hospital in Delhi pots his captivity and return to India, IAF chief BS Dhanoa said the IAF pilot flying again depends on his medical tests.

"Post ejection, Wing Commander Abhinandan has undergone medical tests. Whatever treatment required, will be given. Once we get his medical fitness, he will get into fighter cockpit," Dhanoa said during a press briefing in Coimbatore.

BCCL

Commenting on Air Force strike in Balakot the Dhanoa said "The target has been clearly amplified by the Foreign Secretary in his statement. If we plan to hit the target, we hit the target, otherwise why would he (Pak PM) have responded, if we dropped bombs in the jungles why would he respond".

He also said that the air force doesn’t calculate casualty numbers, the government does that, adding that "we count what targets we have hit or not."

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Explaining the reason behind the decision to deploy Mig-21s to counter the F-16s of Pakistan, the Air Chief said "the Mig-21 Bison is a capable aircraft and it has been upgraded, it has better radar, air-to air missiles and better weapons system."

Elaborating on this he said there was a difference between a planned operation where India used some of its best fighter jets to target the terror camps inside Pakistan and when the jets had to be deployed in the face of an advancing adversary.