Abhay Verma shares his experience of sitting inside cockpit of MIG-21: What a machine, it is meant to kill or diminish

Mumbai, Aug 25 (AHN) Actor Abhay Verma, who has essayed the role of Wing Commander Rajpal Singh Dhaliwal in the streaming series 'Operation Safed Sagar', has shared his experience of sitting in the cockpit of MIG-21.

The actor spoke with AHN following the release of the show, and shared how he became well-versed with the nuances of a fighter aircraft.

He told AHN, “The makers had designed a cardboard mimicking the inside the cockpit of a MIG-21. They sent it to our homes. I would watch YouTube videos of the Indian Air Force. There is this YouTube series about the Indian Air Force and the cadets who are applying to it. I would see that, and I would just figure out what is where, the throttle, and the fuel indicator. So all of these things I would figure and I would get habitual of the surroundings that I will have in me”.

The actor essays the role of Wing Commander Rajpal Singh Dhaliwal in the streaming series. The series is based on the eponymous combined arms operation by the Indian Air Force, supporting elements of the Indian Army during the 1999 Kargil war that was aimed at flushing out regular and irregular troops of the Pakistani Army from vacated Indian Positions in the Kargil sector along the Line of Control. It was the first large-scale use of airpower in the Jammu and Kashmir region since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

It was the first large-scale use of airpower in the Jammu and Kashmir region since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

He further mentioned, “But it doesn't really prepare you when you actually sit in a real jet. When you sit in a real jet you feel really claustrophobic. But you are also elated like what a machine this is. It is a beast, it is something that is meant to either kill or diminish something which has existed. So it is that powerful, and nothing prepares you. To sit in a MIG-21 which has been decommissioned now was a great feeling. And I was one of few lucky ones to ever sit in it”.

Operation Safed Sagar was launched on May 26, it targeted Pakistani positions entrenched on high-altitude peaks after initial ground advances faced stiff resistance. Flying under strict orders not to cross the Line of Control, the IAF deployed aircraft including the MiG-27, MiG-21, Mirage 2000 and Mi-17 helicopters. Precision strikes by the Mirage 2000 destroyed enemy bunkers, supply routes and logistics hubs, weakening Pakistani defences and enabling Indian Army troops to recapture strategic heights, significantly contributing to India's victory.