Meet Kumar

Biography

Squadron Leader Meet Kumar was born on 31 December 1986, the son of Shri Pravin Kumar. From childhood he nurtured a strong desire to join the armed forces, an ambition that only deepened as he grew older. After completing his graduation, he was selected for the Indian Air Force in the flying branch as a short service commissioned officer. On 27 June 2009, at the age of 22, he was commissioned into the IAF. He trained as a fighter pilot as part of the 1 SSC(M) FP course, which was the first pilots' course for short service commissioned officers. He underwent multi-phase flying training and soon became proficient in a range of air operations, serving at several Air Force bases and building substantial flying experience. He was promoted to the rank of Squadron Leader on 27 June 2015. In 2018 he was posted to Air Force Station Pathankot, where he served with 26 Squadron and flew the MiG-21, an aircraft known for its exceptionally high landing and take-off speeds. He evolved into a professionally competent pilot who deeply loved his machine — a devotion captured in an IAF promotional video titled 'A Date With An Air Warrior' that featured him. On 18 July 2018, Squadron Leader Meet Kumar was tasked with an operational training sortie. At around 12:20 pm he took off from Air Force Station Pathankot in his MiG-21 Bis (C-2242). The flight was uneventful for the first 45 minutes, after which the aircraft developed a technical snag and became uncontrollable. As the aircraft circled over a village in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, he used his flying skills to steer it away from the residential area to minimise loss of life and property. The aircraft eventually crashed near Mehra Palli village, and he succumbed to his injuries, laying down his life in the service of the nation.