New Delhi: Squadron Leader Sudhir Kumar has been awarded the Shaurya Chakra for his actions during a critical emergency involving a Su-30MKI fighter during a night sortie in September 2025 when the aircraft suffered a catastrophic fly-by-wire failure. Sqn Ldr Kumar managed the emergency and helped prevent a potentially fatal accident in the face of violent oscillations, extreme G-forces and severe physical strain.
Sqn Ldr Kumar, a flying pilot based in an advanced Su-30MKI squadron with over 1,300 flying hours, was cleared for the flight mission of low altitude navigation on 9th September 2025. A trainee pilot was occupying the front cockpit seat.
The aircraft had violent longitudinal oscillations along with several indicators that the fly-by-wire system was not working properly during the recovery stage, flying at 2.2km altitude and 740kmph speed. The pitch angles of the aircraft went from +45 degrees to -15 degrees, and the crew experienced G-forces between -1.5G and +12G and angle of attacks above 24 units.
Sqn Ldr Kumar took control and instructed the pilot sitting in the front seat to switch on the faulty FBW channels after ensuring that the red warning indicator of FBWs was off. The entire scenario took place in utter darkness due to the extreme G-forces, which made it difficult for him to see the gauges. Nevertheless, Sqn Ldr Kumar immediately powered up and prevented airspeed from dropping too quickly.
His composure, judgment, airmanship and leadership during the emergency earned him the Shaurya Chakra.
Five other IAF personnel have been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (gallantry), including group captain Rahul Jagotta, group captain Rahul Rawat, wing commander Ashish Rajpoot, flight lieutenant Yash and master warrant officer Ravinderjit Singh.
Ten IAF personnel have also been recognized through mention in despatches, including Wing Commander Raja Reddy Lalita Nagesh Kumar, Wing Commander CR Pradeep, Wing Commander Ammar Haider Naqvi, Wing Commander Manoj Puri Goswami, Squadron Leader Kundarapu Koushik, Squadron Leader Aviral Gandhi, Flight Lieutenant Parthasarathi Mulay, Master Warrant Officer Brahm Prakash (retd), Master Warrant Officer Anoop Singh and Corporal Mohan Lal Saini.
The president, Droupadi Murmu, approved the gallantry awards and mention-in-despatches on the eve of the 80th Independence Day. The honours formed part of a wider recognition of military personnel across the armed forces for courage and service in demanding operational circumstances.
The broader gallantry awards also included Army personnel recognized for operations in challenging areas such as Kishtwar and Manipur, while Navy personnel were honoured for acts of courage during missions including a rescue operation in the Gulf of Aden and emergency response during a fire in Visakhapatnam. The recognitions underline the varied operational circumstances in which personnel across the three services have demonstrated courage and professional commitment.