Abhinandan Varthaman

Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman VrC
Varthaman in September 2018
Born	(1983-06-21) 21 June 1983 (age 41) Tamil Nadu, India
Allegiance	India
Service / branch	Indian Air Force
Years of service	2004–present
Rank	Group Captain
Service number	27981[1]
Battles / wars	2019 India–Pakistan standoff 2019 Jammu and Kashmir airstrikes (POW)
Awards	Vir Chakra[2]

Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman VrC (born 21 June 1983) is an Indian Air Force fighter pilot of Mig-21 Bison plane who on 27 February 2019 scrambled to intercept F-16 & JF-17 of Pakistan Air Force's (PAF) that were conducting retaliatory airstrikes on Jammu and Kashmir. He was awarded the Vir Chakra by the Indian government. He was held captive when his plane was shot down inside Pakistani territory 7 km (4.3 miles) from LOC and repatriated on 1 March 2019.