Squadron Leader Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Other Names	Ajjamada Devaiah, A. B. "Tabby" Devaiah
Nickname	Tabby
Names Earned	Wings of Fire, Tiger of Kodagu
Profession	Defence Personnel
Famous for	• Being the only IAF officer to receive the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously • Being the part of the IAF squadron that raided the Sargodha Air Base of Pakistan in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War • Being the only Indian pilot to have shot down the American F-104 Starfighter jet in the entire 1965 Indo-Pakistan War
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 9" (175 cm)
Eye Colour	Dark Brown
Hair Colour	Black
Military Career
Service/Branch	Indian Air Force
Rank	Squadron Leader
Service Years	6 November 1954 - 7 September 1965
Stream	Flying (Fighter Pilot)
Career Ranks	• Flying Officer (6 November 1954 - 6 November 1955) • Flight Lieutenant (6 November 1959) • Squadron Leader (before the September 1965)
Service Number	4810 GD(P)
Military Decoration	Maha Vir Chakra, India's second-highest war-time gallantry award (for his role in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War) (23 April 1988)
Legacy	• An old private bus stand circle in Madikeri in Kodagu district of Karnataka was named after him in his honour (7 September 2009) • A bronze statue of his, weighing 600 kg and costing around 20 lakhs, erected in Madikeri in his honour
Personal Life
Date of Birth	24 December 1932 (Saturday)
Birthplace	Coorg, Coorg Province, British India (now Kodagu, Karnataka, India)
Date of Death	7 September 1965
Place of Death	Kot Naka village, South of Pindi Bhattian Tehsil, Pakistan
Age (at the time of death)	32 Years
Death Cause	Plane Crash
Zodiac sign	Capricorn
Nationality	• British Indian (1932-1945) • Indian (1947-1965)
Hometown	Kodagu, Karnataka
Educational Qualification	Graduation in science
Relationships & More
Marital Status (at the time of death)	Married
Family
Wife/Spouse	Sundari Devayya
Children	Son- None Daughter(s)- 2 • Smitha • Preetha
Parents	Father- Ajjamada Bopayya (deceased; doctor) Mother- Neelamma (deceased)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Squadron Leader Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya

• According to Ajjamada Boppayya’s friends and family, he aspired to become a pilot in the Indian Air Force since his childhood.

• After completing his formal education, he joined the Royal Air Force College in Cranwell, the United Kingdom, where he was awarded for being one of the best students.

• In November 1954, after completing his military training, he joined the IAF as a Flying Officer. Following this, he attended the Pilot Attack Instructors Flight course, which he passed with flying colours and received an instructor grading. He was part of the 64th pilot course.
  

  A photo of Devayya taken after was commissioned into the Indian Air Force

• On 6 November 1959, Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya was promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant following which he was posted to the Air Force Flying College (AFFC) in Dundigal, Andhra Pradesh (now in Telangana), as a fighter aircraft pilot instructor. He was one of the few fighter pilots to become an instructor in just five years of service.
  

  A black and white photo of Squadron Leader Ajjamada B taken while he was seated in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft

• He was posted to the 1st Squadron in Adampur, Punjab, a few months before the outbreak of the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war.

• On 7 September 1965, his squadron, led by Group Captain Om Prakash Taneja, was tasked with launching an air raid at the strategically important Pakistani Air Force Bose in Sargodha.
  

  A photo of O. P. Taneja with the pilots under his command in the 1st Squadron at Adampur

• Initially, he was asked not to join the attacking fleet and was placed on standby. However, after requesting, he was later allowed to join the fleet.

• Devayya joined his squadron, flying a Dassault Mystere IVA ground attack fighter jet. He successfully destroyed numerous Pakistani aircraft, including American-built Lockheed F-104 Starfighters and North American F-86 Sabres. His wing also targeted and destroyed several fuel and ammunition dumps, missile hangars, and air traffic control buildings.
  

  An image of the attack being conducted by a Dassault Mysteres through its rocket taken from another aircraft’s camera

• To avoid the risk of being detected by the Pakistani radars, Devayya was instructed by his commanding officer, Taneja, to land and take off from the Adampur Air Base without runway lights. He also asked him to maintain “radio silence” once they were in the enemy airspace.

• After conducting a 90-hour raid on Pakistan, Taneja and his wingmates returned to Adampur Air Base. However, Devayya did not return. Initially, he was declared as Missing In Action (MIA) and was later declared as Killed In Action (KIA).

• His name was then mentioned in dispatch and was not awarded a medal.

• As per IAF sources, the Air Force had no idea about what had happened to Devayya and his disappearance remained a mystery till 1979.

• In 1979, a British journalist published a book titled “Battle for Pakistan: The Air War of 1965” in which he recounted an interview with a Pakistan Air Force pilot named Hussain. He claimed that he shot and damaged the Mystere aircraft piloted by Devayya.

• He also stated that a dogfight (air battle) occurred between them, during which Devayya, despite flying in a badly damaged aircraft, managed to attack and destroy Hussian’s F-104 Starfighter jet. Hussain, however, managed to eject from his jet and survived. In his book, the journalist exclaimed,
  

  Devayya opened his 30mm cannon and fired at point-blank range at F-104 and therefore damaging the aircraft. Amjad Hussain was forced to eject at a low level but Devayya was not able to eject due to its damaged Mystère and therefore the aircraft crashed.”

• Hussain also revealed that Devayya could not eject from the aircraft because it was badly damaged, and he crashed in Pakistan near the Kot Naka village. The villagers later found his body “almost intact” and buried it nearby.

• In 1988, the Indian Air Force (IAF) issued a gazette notification in which it was stated that Devaiyya, after 23 years of death, would be awarded the Mahavir Chakra. He is the first and only IAF personnel to receive this award after death.

• Later, the Department of Sainik Welfare and Resettlement near the DC office in his hometown was named Sqn Ldr AB Devayya in his honour.

• On 24 January 2025, his character was portrayed by actor Veer Pahariya in the Hindi film Sky Force. Actress Sara Ali Khan portrayed the role of his wife.
  

  Veer Pahariya as Squadron Leader Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya in the Hindi film Sky Force