Last Thursday, IAF had displayed parts of the debris of this missile at a press conference.The American F-16 fighter jets, which were part of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fleet that attempted an attack in the Rajouri sector last Wednesday, fired two AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) at IAF jets that repulsed the Pakistani attempt, The Indian Express has learnt.
Sources said one of the AMRAAMs missed its target and fell on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC) — it was assessed from the volume of debris that was collected by Army troops. The other missile is believed to have hit the Mig-21 Bison aircraft piloted by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, which went down on the Pakistani side of the LoC.
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Sources said American experts, who were shown the debris from the Indian side, have confirmed that remains in such quantity could only have come from a missile that had missed its target.
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Manufactured by American firm Raytheon, AMRAAM is the premier missile in the PAF arsenal and, sources said, it is significant that it missed its target. Last Thursday, IAF had displayed parts of the debris of this missile at a press conference.As for the other missile, an IAF statement issued Wednesday clarified that one F-16 of the PAF was shot by the MiG-21 Bison piloted by Wing Commander Varthaman and that it fell across the LoC….
