India launches air-combat game featuring Abhinandan lookalike

The Indian pilot was shot down, captured in a dogfight with Pakistani aircraft in February

NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force on Wednesday launched an air-combat mobile game featuring a character resembling its pilot shot down and captured by Pakistan earlier this year.

The character, who looks like handlebar-moustached wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman, can be seen at the start of the single player game's teaser trailer released by the air force on Twitter.

Abhinandan in February was shot down in a dogfight with Pakistani aircraft. He was later handed over to Indian authorities ‘as a goodwill gesture’.

Pakistan Air Force had shot down two Indian warplanes – a day after Indian aircraft violated Pakistan’s airspace and dropped their payload in a jungle of Balakot district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

New Delhi claimed its forces also shot down a Pakistan F-16 fighter jet but failed to substantiate its claim with credible evidence.

The incident followed a massive suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian troops on February 14.

The Android and iOS-based mobile game ‘Indian Air Force: A Cut Above’ will let players fly different aircraft and complete various missions.