Dear Jack:
Quote:
Originally Posted by JACK COOK
BTW I also recall him saying that in the 71 war with Pakistan he downed a F-104 while flying a MIG-21. Is there any record on this claim??
|
Mmmm... Unfortunately so far there is no record of his claim. According to IAF official web site and the researcher PVS Jagan Mohan, those were the aerial kills claimed by MiG-21 pilots during the 1971 War:
*12.12.1971 - Bharat B. Soni (No.47 Sqn, flying MiG-21PF S/N C705), shot down the F-104A of Mervyn H. Middlecoat (No.9 Sqn PAF, KIA).
*16.12.1971 - S. B. "Sam" Shah (No.29 Sqn), claimed F-6 (not confirmed by PAF).
*17.12.1971 - Iqbal Singh Bindra (No.29 Sqn), claimed F-104 (not confirmed by PAF).
*17.12.1971 - Arun K. Datta (No.29 Sqn), shot down the F-104A of Samad Ali Changezi (No.9 Sqn PAF, KIA).
*17.12.1971 - Niraj "Kuki" Kukreja (No.29 Sqn), claimed F-104 (not confirmed by PAF).
If he made a claim for shooting down a Starfighter, so far it seems that the PAF considered the evidence insufficient, and threw the claim away.
The PAF admitts the loss of another Starfighter on 6.12.1971 (Amjad Hussain, KIA), apparently by AAA. It would be interesting to research if Bharat Singh made his claim on that day.
I hope this information helps you.
Kind regards,
Diego Zampini