Lucknow, May 28: Kargil war veterans Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa and 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen. YK Joshi on Tuesday pay homage to Indian Air Force (IAF) soldiers who lost their lives when an Mi-17 was shot down by Pakistan during the war. They flew a missing man formation in Uttar Pradesh's Sarsawa. On May 28, 1999, the IAF continued strikes on enemy targets inflicting heavy casualties and destroying several strongholds. Alongside the fighters, Mi-17 helicopters had also been pressed into operation to carry out ‘rocket’ attacks at enemy bunkers.

Yesterday, the Chief of Air Staff flew the 'missing man' formation in a MiG-21 aircraft to pay tributes to Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja and other fallen heroes of the Kargil war of 1999. He was accompanied by Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) Western Air Command Air Marshal R Nambiar in the flypast organised at Air Force Station in Bhisiana here.

Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa and Lt Gen YK Joshi paid tribute to Kargil war heroes:

Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa, led a four aircraft, MiG-21 'missing man' formation flypast to honour the valour and supreme sacrifice of men killed in action during 'Operation Safed Sagar' at Kargil, an IAF spokesperson said. Later, in a sombre ceremony, he laid a wreath at the War Memorial to honour the IAF men who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja had laid down his life during the Kargil conflict. Missing Man Formation by IAF Fighter Jets Pay Tribute to Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi Who Was Killed In Surya Kiran Crash; Watch Video.

IAF's Tweet:

He was at that time the Flight Commander of 17 Squadron and was awarded the Vir Chakra posthumously for his valour during the conflict which took place 20 years ago. On the occasion, Alka Ahuja, widow of Ajay Ahuja, also paid tributes to the late IAF officer. On May 28, the air chief will visit Air Force Station in Sarsawa, Uttar Pradesh and fly in a Mi-17 V5 'missing man' formation to commemorate the Kargil martyrs.

(With inputs from PTI)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 28, 2019 04:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).