Air Force releases promotional video featuring story of Balakot air strike

Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhaduria addresses the media. (Image: Twitter/@IAF_MCC)

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on October 4 released a promotional video featuring the story of the Balakot air strike, which was carried out against Pakistan in February this year in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack.

The promotional video was released by the IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhaduria on the occasion of Indian Air Force Day.

The video has shots of fighter jets taking off, missiles being aimed and radars zooming in on targets. The video mentions how the Balakot air strike was conducted; however, it is unclear if the footage in the video is from February 26 when the strike was conducted, or a recreation of the event.

While addressing the media on the occasion of the 87th anniversary of the Indian Air Force in New Delhi, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said that the operational preparedness of the IAF has been of a very high order and it achieved a number of operational milestones last year, including the Balakot strikes.

The IAF is prepared to meet any contingency and does not rest on past laurels, he added.

Talking about the IAF shooting down its own Mi-17 helicopter in Budgam on the morning of February 27, the IAF Chief said it was a "big mistake on our part".

A Court of inquiry has submitted its report and the IAF is taking punitive action against the guilty, he said.

Disciplinary action is being taken against two officers in the shooting down of the chopper, the IAF chief said.

A surface-to-air missile of the Indian Air Force brought down the Mi-17 aircraft in Kashmir's Budgam on the morning of February 27 when the Indian and Pakistani air forces were engaged in a fierce dogfight, a high-level probe had concluded in August.