The IAF has set a new high in history of aerial combat. In an epic dogfight, an IAF MiG-21 not only gave a tough fight to the far more superior F-16 fighters belonging to Pakistan, but also shot it down. While MiG 21 is on the verge of retirement and the IAF has been forced to drag it along due to inordinate delays in the Tejas’s development. F-16, on the other hand, is seen as one of the most popular aircraft currently in modern military service. The F-16 was developed keeping in mind the first-hand war experience and therefore, it is built considering combat requirements. F-16 is a battle-tested fighter jet. The US made F-16 multi-role fighter aircraft first saw action during the 1991 Gulf War. It was used to a large extent during the Gulf War. After that it has been a regular part of the US and NATO campaigns. A MiG 21 downing F-16 is an unbelievable feat.
One cannot help but feel bad for the PAF pilot. First, he lost a dogfight to MiG-21, a fighter jet on the verge of retirement and as per sources, he suffered serious injuries when he landed on the ground. As per latest reports, Pakistan seems to have done what it does best. It has indulged in self-destruction out of blatant hatred towards India. As per rediffnews, the Pakistani F-16 pilot who had ejected after being shot down by the IAF was beaten up by the locals who thought him to be an Indian.
As per OneIndia, sources say that the uniform of the Pakistani pilot was torn when he landed. The source added, “To make the matters worse, the locals considered him of being an Indian pilot and beat him up very badly till he fell unconscious. Local police took him to the hospital, and the army was informed that an Indian pilot has been captured. Probably, this is the reason that without ascertaining the fact the Pakistani army claimed capturing two Indian pilots in order to address the emotions of Pakistanis.”
This explains why the Paksitani army initially claimed that it had two IAF pilots in its custody. Initially, the terrorist country mistook its own pilot to be an IAF pilot and later on realized that it had committed a monumental blunder. Therefore, Pakistan finally stated the truth and made it clear that it had only one IAF pilot in its custody. However, Pakistan tried hard to bury the reports of locals beating up the Pakistani pilot under the carpet in a desperate bid to avoid embarrassment domestically and in India.
