Archive · 12 Aug 2026
Air Force, my first wife: Ajay Ahuja before final mission
A long time ago, a brave fighter pilot named Ajay Ahuja flew planes for the Indian Air Force.
He loved his wife Alka very much, but he joked that his 'first wife' was the Air Force because he loved flying so much.
He knew his job could be dangerous, so he helped Alka study and learn to be strong and independent.
In 1999, India and Pakistan were fighting a war in the mountains called the Kargil War.
During a mission, another pilot's plane was hit and Ajay stayed behind to help find him, even though it was dangerous.
His own plane was then hit by a missile, and he jumped out but was captured by the other side.
Sadly, he did not come home, and the Air Force gave him a special medal called the Vir Chakra after he died.
Alka was left to raise their little son Ankur by herself, and she worked very hard to be strong for him.
Today, a TV series called Operation Safed Sagar on Netflix tells Ajay's brave story.
Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja was killed on May 27, 1999, in the Kargil War after staying behind to locate fellow pilot Flight Lieutenant K. Nachiketa, who had ejected from his MiG-27.
Ahuja's MiG-21 was hit by a surface-to-air missile; he ejected but landed across the Line of Control, was captured and posthumously awarded the Vir Chakra.
His story is told in Operation Safed Sagar, now streaming on Netflix, with Siddharth playing Ajay Ahuja and Amrita Bagchi playing Alka Ahuja.
Ajay told Alka she was his 'second wife' because his 'first wife' was the Indian Air Force, and he encouraged her to study and work independently.
After his death, Alka raised their five-year-old son Ankur alone, later teaching at AFS Bal Bharti in Delhi and taking a Punjab government PCS job in Chandigarh.
- Who
- Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, an Indian Air Force pilot, and his wife Alka Ahuja
- What
- Ahuja was killed during the Kargil War after staying behind to locate downed pilot K. Nachiketa; his story is now told in the Netflix series Operation Safed Sagar
- When
- He was killed on May 27, 1999; the series is streaming now, more than 27 years later
- Where
- Over the Batalik sector, landing across the Line of Control; Alka learned the news at their home, and the family later lived in Delhi and Chandigarh
- Why
- He stayed behind to locate K. Nachiketa and guide the rescue helicopter despite the danger from enemy missiles
- Subject
- Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, Indian Air Force pilot and Vir Chakra recipient
- Date of death
- May 27, 1999
- Conflict
- Kargil War
- Award
- Vir Chakra (posthumously)
- Aircraft
- Flew MiG-21 and MiG-23; killed while flying a MiG-21
- Squadron
- Flight Commander of No. 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows
- Joined Indian Air Force
- 1985, after graduating from the National Defence Academy
- Series
- Operation Safed Sagar, streaming on Netflix; Siddharth stars as Ajay Ahuja