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The pilot whose photo appears here was flying HAL Gnat E295 in a famous air battle with Pakistan. The pilot and his Gnat were lost, but not before he shot down one (or two?) PAF Sabres- another of which shot him down. This one is really E1078 which

used to be preserved at Tambaram AB in Chennai. Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon won the Param Vir Chadra (the Indian equivalent of the Victoria Cross)- the only one awarded to the IAF. His Gnat was seen to crash inverted and the pilot to eject, but although the aircraft was found, he never was.

 

Here's a link.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirmal_Jit_Singh_Sekhon

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Uploaded on January 24, 2025
Taken on November 25, 2022