Missile mishit

FOUR years after a missile strike on a friendly Mi-17 helicopter snuffed out the lives of six Air Force personnel and a civilian, a General Court Martial has, after an inordinate delay, ordered the dismissal of Group Captain Suman Roy Chowdhury, the then Chief Operations Officer of Srinagar Air Force Station, for grave lapses that led to this tragic incident. As reported by The Tribune, the inquiry has found violations of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) by the officer, who cleared the launch of the missile in his capacity as the Terminal Weapon Director of the airbase. He has been held guilty of permitting the Mi-17 to take off from Srinagar without its Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system being turned on, thus flouting the Air Headquarters’ general order in this regard. The IFF helps air defence radars identify whether an aircraft or helicopter is friendly or hostile; as it remained switched off in this case, communication and coordination between the ground staff and the chopper crew were adversely impacted.

Besides causing losses in human and monetary terms, the missile fiasco had heaped embarrassment on the Union Government and the Air Force amid India’s retaliatory strikes against Pakistan in the wake of the 2019 Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF men. With ‘fog of war’ being a perennial, inescapable reality for a country wedged between two hostile neighbours, it is hoped that exemplary action against the erring officer will ensure strict adherence to the SOPs in future.

A zero-tolerance policy is a must in every case of dereliction of duty that imperils national security as well as the lives of our defence personnel. Last year, the IAF had sacked three officers for gross negligence that led to the accidental firing of a BrahMos combat missile, which had landed in Pakistan. The incident had put India on the defensive and heightened cross-border tensions. While fixing accountability at all levels for such blunders, the armed forces should ensure exemplary punishment without getting mired in judicial delay; no court should brook dilatory tactics by those accused of jeopardising the nation's security.