26 IAF officers awarded Vayu Sena Medal for their contribution in Op Sindoor; 13 accorded Yudh Sewa Medal

NEW DELHI: The Union government on Thursday awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) to 26 Indian Air Force officers and airmen for their brave contributions in the service of the nation during Operation Sindoor.

Those being awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) took part in missions to hit targets inside Pakistan, and officers and men operating the S-400 and other air defence systems, which foiled all attacks planned by Pakistan on Indian soil.

Group Captains (GP) Ankur Hakim, Manav Bhatia, Yasir Faruqi, Varlin Bhoj, Anuraj Singh Minhas, Omar Browne, Deepak Chauhan, and Kunal Vishwas Shimpi have been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal for their gallant actions on the battlefield.

Wing Commanders (WG CDR) who have been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal are: Joy Chandra Rupak Roy, Devendra Babasaheb Autade, Mayank Paliwal, Deepak Dogra, Ravinder Kumar, Adarsh Gupta, Abhay Singh Bhadoria, and Amandeep Singh Dihot.

26 officers and airmen of the Indian Air Force awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry), including fighter pilots who took part in missions to hit targets inside Pakistan and officers and men operating the S-400 and other air defence systems which foiled all attacks planned by… pic.twitter.com/HuRgdcVlHO

— ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2025

Squadron Leaders (Sqn Ldr) awarded the Vayu Sena Medal are: Kaustubh Nalawade, Mihir Vivek Chaudhari, Rakesh Sharma, Malapati NV Naveen Kumar, Shubham Sharma, Aman Singh and Gaurav Khokher.

Flight Lieutenant (FLT LT) along with Sergeant (Sgt) A naveen chandar, and Corporal (CPL) Surendra Kumar have been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal.

Moreover, 13 Indian Air Force officers were awarded the distinguished Yudh Seva Medal for playing an important role in executing attacks and defending their own airspace. The officers include Air Vice Marshal Joseph Suares, AVM Prajual Singh and Air Commodore Ashok Raj Thakur.

This comes after Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said that India took down at least five fighter jets of Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and downed one large aircraft which was taken on at a distance of about 300 kilometres. He said the aircraft that was brought down “is the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill that we can talk about”.

The IAF Chief, who delivered the keynote address at the 16th edition of the Air Chief Marshal LM Katre Memorial Lecture on Saturday, lauded the successful completion of Operation Sindoor, underscoring the primacy of Air Power in modern military conflicts and its significance in national security.

“We have at least five fighters confirmed kills and one large aircraft, which could be either an ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) aircraft or an AEW &C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) aircraft, which was taken on at a distance of about 300 kilometres. This is actually the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill that we can talk about,” Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said.

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 as a decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. The Indian Armed Forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, leading to the death of over 100 terrorists.

India repelled the subsequent Pakistani retaliation and pounded its airbases. (ANI)