The Pakistan Air Force on Monday 'unveiled' to the world wreckage of the MiG-21 fighter of the Indian Air Force it shot down in the dogfight over Kashmir in February last year. The Indian Air Force claimed the MiG-21, flown by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, had shot down an Pakistan Air Force F-16 before being downed.
The Pakistan Air Force also showed the wreckage of what appeared to be four air-to-air missiles that armed the MiG-21 in a bid to prove that Abhinandan had not fired any weapons and shot down an enemy aircraft.
IAF claim of hitting F-16 by their Mig 21 before having been shot down by PAF gets exposed. All 4 missile seeker heads recovered intact from the wreckage & held. Pakistan and its professional Armed Forces staying humble by not drum beating. We have more truth on this to share. pic.twitter.com/jOklFU7GDJ
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) April 5, 2019
Speaking at the Pakistan Air Force headquarters in Islamabad, Air Commodore Syed Omar Shah said the "main reason behind a yearlong delay in making public the wreckage of MiG-21 Bison was a war-like situation, which prevailed at the time of dogfight". However, a cursory search on Twitter would reveal that what was shown by the Pakistan Air Force is actually old evidence.
In April last year, the Twitter handle of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the PR wing of the Pakistan military, tweeted an image of the wreckage of all four air-to-air missiles carried by the Indian Air Force MiG-21.
It had then tweeted, "IAF claim of hitting F-16 by their MiG 21 before having been shot down by PAF gets exposed. All 4 missile seeker heads recovered intact from the wreckage & held. Pakistan and its professional Armed Forces staying humble by not drum beating. We have more truth on this to share."
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Shah claimed the MiG-21 was carrying two types of air-to-air missiles in pairs. One type was the R-73 short-range infrared-guided missile, while the other was the R-77 medium-range radar-guided missile. One R-73 and R-77 missile was being carried under each wing of the MiG-21.
The Associated Press of Pakistan quoted Shah as saying, "Since the aircraft after being hit fell on the left side, that completely damaged the two missiles attached on the left wing. The two R-73 Archer and R-77 Adder missiles, which attached on the right wing of MiG-21, were recovered almost intact from the aircraft’s wreckage whereas the left wing missiles were damaged, particularly the R-77 Adder whose rocket motor got burnt under the rubble."
Shah declared, "The rocket motor has been found attached with the missile launcher that clearly proves that the MiG-21 piloted by Wing Commander Abhinandan did not fire any of its missiles and inflicted no damage on the PAF aircraft."
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The last radio transmission Abhinandan Varthaman was believed to have made before he was shot down was "R-73 selected", implying he was about to launch the short-range missile.
The Pakistan Air Force also reiterated its claim of shooting down two Indian Air Force fighters, though it is yet to show any evidence of a second downed aircraft.
The display of the missile parts appears to be an attempt by the Pakistan military to drum up nationalist sentiment in the run-up to the first anniversary of the February 27 dogfight. The Pakistan government announced the day would be celebrated as 'Surprise Day'. The Pakistan Air Force has also released a music video ahead of the anniversary.
