on 26 February 2019 India Airforce conducted a Balakot airstrike. Indian warplanes crossed the de facto border in the disputed region of Kashmir and dropped bombs in the vicinity of the town of Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan.
The following day, on February 27 Pakistan Airforce retaliated and conducted Operation Swift Retort causing an Indian warplane to be shot down and it’s pilot to be taken prisoner by the Pakistan military before being returned on March 1.
Pakistan claims that on February 27 PAF shot down two Indian Airforce fighter jets (1 MiG-21 and Su-30MKI). Squadron Leader Hassan Siddiqui Shot down Indian Air Force MiG-21 bison piloted by wing-commander Abhinandan Varthaman and Wing Commander Nauman Ali Khan shot down Indian Air Force SU-30MKI
on the other hand, Indian Air Force claimed that Indian Air Force MiG-21 bison piloted by wing-commander Abhinandan Varthaman managed to shot down Pakistani F-16 fighter jet before getting shot down
Related Article: IAF MiG-21 and Su-30MKI fighter jet Kill mark spotted on PAF JF-17 thunder Fighter jets
IAF also claims that Wing Commander Varthaman Mig-21 was shot down by an AMRAAM air-to-air missile fired by a Pakistan Air Force F-16 fighter, and not by a Chinese made JF-17 ‘Thunder’ fighter a
As the mystery behind whether the Indian Air Force shot down a Pakistan Air Force F-16 and whether the Pakistani forces shot down at IAF Sukhoi-30MKI continues, a ‘patch war’ has erupted between the two sides to reinforce their respective versions of the truth.
Squadron patches are donned by pilots during aerial operations and are considered to be a badge of honour. However, their glory notwithstanding, these patches are playing the extra role of serving as the ultimate proof in context to the aerial dogfight that took place between India and Pakistan.
Here’s All the uniform patches made so far on 2019 PAF – IAF airstrikes
Indian Airforce uniform Patches
India has designed two new patches to highlight their success against the PAF.
Abhinandan’s Srinagar-based squadron has got a special ‘Falcon Slayers’ patch made to commemorate the aerial dogfight which saw a handful of MiG-21s and two Su-30 MKIs take on about two dozen PAF fighters, including F-16s, one of which was shot down by the Wing Commander seconds before his aircraft got hit. The F-16 has been named Fighting Falcon by its American manufacturer Lockheed Martin
The Sukhoi squadron which managed to dodge the 11 AMRAAM missiles fired at it has also gone for a new patch, calling itself the ‘AMRAAM dodgers’.
Pakistan Indian Airforce uniform Patches
JF-17 ‘Thunder’ fighter with the slogan “JF-17 – MiG killer.” A special patch meant to be placed on PAF pilots’ flying overalls started doing the rounds, showing the JF-17 aircraft as a Chinese dragon, with the MiG-21 in its grasp.
Following this, Few other Patches of PAF are also Circulating on internet
one which said: “Pak Air Space Violation Warrant — unlawful aircraft (sic) are eternally grounded and impounded”.
Here is another Which said Don’t-Mess With Pakistan Air Force Patch
Here is another patch that features Indian Air Force MiG-21 bison pilot wing-commander Abhinandan Varthaman who was captured by Pakistan. After capture, PAF released his video in which he was having tea and PAF officers were asking him questions about his mission.
Here is another Patch but its sort of just an image showing Indian Airforce Mi17 V5 helicopter crashed at the time of PAF Airstrike. According to Report, Israeli origin Indian Air defence missile was activated shortly before the IAF Mi17 V5 helicopter crash. Means that Friendly fire might have caused Mi17 V5 crashed
