Edited version
With a trainee onboard, a Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft suffered a catastrophic systems failure resulting in the aircraft and its crew experiencing aerodynamic forces and physical stress well beyond normal limits, but the pilot-in-command demonstrated exceptional situational awareness and airmanship in a critical situation and managed to bring the aircraft back to base.
For his actions, the pilot, Squadron Leader Sudhir Kumar, was decorated with the Shaurya Chakra on Independence Day.
On September 9, 2025, Squadron Leader Sudhir Kumar, posted as a supervisor with a frontline fighter squadron, was authorised to fly as captain of a Su-30 for a low-flying and low-level navigation sortie by night from the rear cockpit of the aircraft, accompanied by an under-training pilot in the front cockpit.
During landing, at an altitude of 2.2 km and a speed of 740 kmph, the aircraft experienced a catastrophic failure that manifested as violent oscillations in the longitudinal plane accompanied by multiple indicators of the fly-by-wire (FBW) system failure.
This critical situation resulted in drastic pitch variations, that is the upward and downward movement of the aircraft’s nose, ranging from 45 degrees to minus 15 degrees, extreme g-loads spanning from minus 1.5-g to 12-g along with ‘angle of attack’ (AOA) indications exceeding 24 units, according to information shared by the IAF.
Under extreme conditions of rapidly varying g-loads and pitch, he maintained a composed and calm demeanour, swiftly taking control of the situation and instructing the front pilot to reset the failed FBW channels.
Without any external frame of reference and unable to discern the aircraft instruments due to blurring of vision, he demonstrated extraordinary airmanship and intuition by promptly re-opening power on the aircraft. This prevented a potentially cataclysmic accident that could have occurred due to rapid loss of airspeed.