Among Shaurya Chakra winners: IAF officer who repelled J&K terror attack, fighter pilot who braved loss of canopy mid-flight

On May 4, 2024, Corporal Dabhi, an Environmental Support Services Assistant, was elaborate arsenic an equipped escort for an IAF conveyance connected mode to cod ration from Indian Army Field Supply Depot located 40 km from his location. While returning from the tract proviso depot, the conveyance was ambushed by 3 terrorists. Amid dense and concentrated tiny arms occurrence and grenade onslaught from 2 sides, Corporal Dabhi, seated successful compartment on with 2 of his chap equipped escorts, was deed by bullets successful his close manus and suffered aggregate splinter injuries connected look and precocious body.

Unmindful of the gunshot coiled and profuse bleeding, helium tactically adjusted himself and opened retaliatory occurrence from his idiosyncratic limb (AK-103) connected the terrorists. He was the archetypal responder to the onslaught and continued firing shots towards terrorists from antithetic angles. Due to his tactical firing, terrorists could not beforehand towards the conveyance and yet retreated into the adjacent jungle. This courageous enactment of Corporal Dabhi resulted successful redeeming the precious lives of his squad members and different collateral damage. He past established connection with the portion resulting successful motorboat of contiguous evacuation squad with required aesculapian aid. For this “act of exceptional courageousness and exemplary gallantry beyond telephone of duty”, Corporal Dabhi has been awarded with Shaurya Chakra.

Corporal Vikky Pahade, Communication Technician, with the aforesaid portion has been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal for Gallantry posthumously for taking portion successful the aforesaid enactment and firing backmost astatine terrorists. However, having suffered grievous injuries successful the brushwood Corporal Pahade succumbed to his injuries aboriginal astatine Command hospital, Udhampur.

Flight Lieutenant Hans was flying his MiG-29 craft connected March 28 past twelvemonth erstwhile its canopy blew disconnected astatine 28,000 feet, exposing him to terrible upwind conditions with temperatures of minus 35 to minus 40 degrees Celsius. He maintained his composure and rapidly took power of the aircraft, the IAF said. “While flying connected caput down instruments, helium announced the exigency utilizing standby vigor control, kept wide of the civilian flying successful the proximity and descended to a little altitude of 3 kilometres with nary vigor reception and terrible symptom successful the eyes,” it said.

He conveyed the formation accusation with “utmost clarity” to the controlling agencies and took a punctual determination to onshore astatine the nearest airbase, it said.

Flight Lieutenant Hans correctly assessed the craft value required for landing owed to dense substance configuration and made a harmless landing astatine the earliest, it said.

“Despite imminent information to his ain aforesaid and inhospitable biology conditions, helium displayed astute beingness of mind, controlled the craft and initiated the recovery. His punctual actions and exemplary situational consciousness led to the betterment of the craft which different could person been catastrophic, starring to nonaccomplishment of an plus to the IAF and collateral harm to civilian property,” it said.

Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry)

Flt Lt Tarun Nair has been awarded with Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) for safely managing a MiG-29, which suffered aggregate power failures causing abrupt rotation and transportation of the craft causing trouble successful maintaining level flight. The aviator had to antagonistic the dense forces for implicit an hr due to the fact that of the request to devour substance but landed the craft safely.

Group Captain Ankit Raj Singh, CO of a C-130 Squadron, has been awarded Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) for flying a ngo to an Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) successful Ladakh amidst the acheronian of caller satellite night, facing aggravated risks to ain information and equipment, each to prioritise Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC) of an injured worker with an amputated hand.

Sqn Ldr PD Dongre has been awarded Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) for landing a MIG-21 Bison craft safely aft experiencing catastrophic hydraulic nonaccomplishment successful May 2024. He landed the craft without the usage of flaps, which is the astir demanding configuration.

Wing Commander Ankit Sood, a aviator with Mi-17-1V Helicopter Unit has been awarded Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) for undertaking rescue missions successful adverse circumstances aft unprecedented rainfall successful Himachal Pradesh successful Kullu and Mandi districts successful August 2023.

On March 16, 2024, Wing Commander Akshay Saxena executed a C-17 craft ngo successful enactment of Op Sankalp aimed astatine anti piracy operations successful the Arabian Sea. He airdropped 2 Combat Rubberised Raiding Craft (CRRC) boats and a squad of 18 MARCOs with combat load to seizure a Pirate controlled vessel which was not lone launching attacks connected merchant vessels successful the Arabian Sea but besides opened occurrence astatine INS Kolkata and had changeable down a naval spotter drone. The Officer arsenic Captain of the C-17 craft decided to power disconnected each emitters, alert debased level implicit precocious seas successful overseas territory and driblet astatine dusk clip to debar detection.

The different 2 serviceman awarded Vayu Sena Medal for gallantry see Wing Commander Dushyant Singh Rathore and Wing Commander Jude Joseph Pereira.