Login Register
Follow Us

IAF counts its losses

THE Indian Air Force has been plagued by mishaps with 2019 ranking as the worst year with the force losing 10 planes. The crash of the AN-32 twin-engine turbo prop military transport aircraft is the latest in the series.

Show comments

THE Indian Air Force has been plagued by mishaps with 2019 ranking as the worst year with the force losing 10 planes. The crash of the AN-32 twin-engine turbo prop military transport aircraft is the latest in the series. The aircraft took off from the Jorhat base in Assam on June 3 with 13 persons on board for Mechuka in Shi Yomi district of Arunachal Pradesh but failed to reach, crashing in the mountainous terrain. The crash site is among the remotest locations in Arunachal and close to the China border, a difficult area with no habitation and communication, making reconnaissance and rescue even more difficult. Local officials have pointed out to the enormity of the task saying it took three days for a polling party to reach a village in the area where the plane has been spotted. Details will only be known after the recovery of the plane’s black box and a metallurgical analysis of the wreckage. Earlier this year, the IAF lost a Mirage, a Jaguar, a Mi-17V5 helicopter, two Hawk aircraft and two planes belonging to the MiG family.   

The mishaps are unfortunate and put the ageing fleet of the IAF under the scanner, emphasising the need for upgrade and modernisation. The IAF has over 100 planes belonging to the Russia-acquired Ukraine-built AN-32 class and only the upgraded variant should be deployed for operations. There is no denying that modernisation is taking place with the induction of Chinook helicopters made in the US and efforts to purchase the Rafale multirole fighter aircraft from France. But acquisition and deployment is a time-consuming proposition and calls for the need to constantly upgrade to keep the fleet airworthy.  

The role of the Air Force in securing strategic interests cannot be underestimated as exhibited in the recent aerial strikes carried out at Balakot in Pakistan and also for the valuable air support it provides to the infantry. The mishaps, coming at a time when IAF Chief BS Dhanoa flew the ‘Missing Man’ formation himself to pay tribute to a colleague killed during the Kargil war and instill confidence in the force, are unfortunate and point to the age-old maxim: Always alert, accident avert.   

Show comments
Show comments

Top News

Most Read In 24 Hours