2019 – Posted in: Daily News

OPERATION SWIFT RETORT

For: Preliminary
Topics covered: Operation Swift Retort, What is the Issue and India’s reaction, MiG-21

News Flash

Pakistan to observe its retaliatory action against Indian air strike on the Balakot terror camp on Feburary 27 as ‘Operation Swift Retort‘.

Issue

On 14 February 2019, a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber near Awantipora in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The attack resulted in the deaths of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.
Later on 26th of Feburary, Indian Air Force carried out counter-terror operation (Balakot Air Strike).
Then on 27 February the PAF retaliated and in an aerial combat between India and Pakistan. India lost its MiG-21 Bison aircraft. Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by Pakistan. He was later released and handed over to India on March 1.

Operation Swift Retort

On 27 February 2019, six surprise airstrikes were carried out by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) at multiple locations inside Indian-Administered Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), in an operation known as Operation Swift Retort. The airstrikes were conducted in retaliation of Indian airstrike in Balakot just a day before on 26 February.

On 26 February, Indian Air Force conducted an airstrike across Line of Control (LoC) in Balakot, Pakistan and allegedly killed a large number of JeM millitants.

Indian Reaction

India’s Ministry of External Affairs in a press conference confirmed that PAF violated LoC and entered Indian territory through Nowshera and Poonch sector shooting down one IAF jet and it’s pilot going missing. India also claimed to have shot down PAF’s F-16 Fighting Falcon in its territory.

MiG-21

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. The MiG-21 jet fighter was a continuation of Soviet jet fighters, starting with the subsonic MiG-15 and MiG-17, and the supersonic MiG-19.

India is the largest operator of MiG-21s. Since 1963, India has introduced more than 1,200 MiG fighters into its air force. As of 2019, 113 MiG-21s are known to be in operation in the IAF.

Source: New Indian Express

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