<span style="color: #222222;">Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa and Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who piloted a MiG-21 Bison during the airstrike at a terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot in February, today flew together in a two-seater version of the Russian-origin legacy jet. <br />'' <br />'' After the sortie, Air Chief Dhanoa said, it was an honour for him to fly with Abhinandan. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.3333px;">He said that Abhinandan has got his flying category back.</span><br style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.3333px;" />''<span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Both of us have fought Pakistanis. I fought in Kargil, Abhinandan fought after Balakot, the Air Chief Marshal said. <br />'' <br />'' The IAF said it was the last sortie flown by Air Chief in a fighter aircraft before his retirement. <br />'' <br />'' In today's sortie, the two took off in the MiG-21 trainer from Pathankot and flew for 30 minutes. Air Chief Marshal recalled serving in a MiG-21 squadron with the Wing Commander's father, Simhakutty Varthaman who retired as an Air Marshal. <br />'' <br />'' Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa commanded a squadron of frontline ground attack fighters and defended the icy heights of Kargil during the war in 1999. <br />'' <br />'' Abhinandan Varthaman was conferred the Vir Chakra, the coveted wartime gallantry medal, for downing the F-16 jet of Pakistan after Balakot airstrike by Indian Air Force.<br />'' <br />'' The sortie comes a day before the Indian Air Force inducts eight US-made Apache AH-64E attack helicopters at the Pathankot Air Force Station. <br />'' <br />'' India signed a multi-billion dollar contract with the US government and Boeing in September 2015 for 22 Apache helicopters. <br />'' <br />'' The Apache is a known 'tankbuster', has seen action in multiple wars and is highly effective against ground targets in the frontline.</span><br />''  <br />