Retired Indian Air Force Flight Lieutenant Alfred Tyrone Cooke, a Vir Chakra awardee and hero of the 1965 India-Pakistan War, has died in New Delhi at the age of 87. He was honoured for his bravery during a fierce aerial battle over Kalaikunda, West Bengal, on September 7, 1965, when he shot down a Pakistani fighter jet despite being outnumbered by enemy aircraft. Cooke’s courage and exceptional flying skills earned him the Vir Chakra, India’s third-highest wartime gallantry award. After retiring from service, he settled in Australia and had returned to India to attend an event organized by his former squadron, No. 14 Squadron of the Indian Air Force.