Greatest IAF Pilot's Last Interview | Ctrl Alt Defence Ep 57

What does it take to face four enemy fighters alone, survive a close-range dogfight and return to base with a damaged aircraft and almost no ammunition?

On Episode 57 of #CtrlAltDefence, Shiv Aroor and Vishnu Som speak to Flt Lt Alfred Tyrone Cooke, Vir Chakra, one of the most remarkable fighter pilots of the 1965 India-Pakistan War, in what became his final interview.

Flt Lt Alfred Cooke passed away on September 18, 2026, just three days after recording this conversation.

Episode 57
Watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfZ6UBjj2Hw

The September 7, 1965 mission that made Alfred Cooke a legend
How he took on four Pakistani Sabres over West Bengal
The dogfight that saw him shoot down at least one Sabre
How he engaged another aircraft at extremely close range
Why his Hunter's ammunition configuration became a source of lasting anger
His reflections on war, service, sacrifice and the men he fought against

Recorded just days before his passing, this episode preserves the extraordinary first-hand account of a fighter pilot who spent decades carrying the memories of one of India's most remarkable aerial battles.

From the skies over West Bengal in 1965 to his reflections more than six decades later, Alfred Cooke recounts the mission, the dogfight, the decisions that followed and the reasons he felt his story had never been fully told.

This is his final interview.

Watch now.