Reportedly the Indian Air Force on its 87th foundation day flew the Sukhoi-30MKI, the plane that pakistan claimed to have shot down in February earlier this year. Meanwhile at the Air Force Day parade held at the Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad, three Mirage-2000s and two larger Sukhoi-30MKIs flew in the Avenger formation.
Furthermore the Sukhoi jet that flew on the right during the formation was the same aircraft that pakistan claimed it had shot down in an aerial dogfight on February 27 near the India-Pakistan border after the Balakot strike. Perhaps this was a day after india launched air strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camps in Pakistan’s Balakot.
Moreover also part of the parade was Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who flew past in an avenger formation leading a group of three MiG-21 Bison fighter jets, where his aerial manoeuvre was greeted with huge cheers from the crowds gathered at the air base to witness the air show. Perhaps the IAF had, in fact, then stated that they had witnessed Wing Commander Abhinandan shooting down a Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft during the air combat.
