Tag: Mi-17 crash

IAF Confirms Budgam Chopper Crash Was Caused by ‘Friendly Fire’

Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria described the crash as a “big mistake”.

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has admitted that the Mi-17 helicopter that crashed on February 27 was brought down by friendly fire. The chopper was brought down a day after India conducted airstrikes in Balakot, when Pakistani jets invaded Indian airspace and were engaged in a dogfight. Six IAF officers and a civilian were killed in the crash.

Defence analyst Ajai Shukla had reported in April that the IAF was under political pressure to delay the Court of Inquiry’s (CoI) final report from being submitted. The Balakot airstrike was politicised by the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the run-up to the general elections as a strong response to the Pulwama terror attack.

Though the Air Force denied that there was any pressure, just days after the final phase of polling ended in May, it moved to press charges against officers found guilty of lapses that led to the downing of the chopper.

On Friday, Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria described the crash as a “big mistake”. He said that the CoI has submitted its report and the IAF is taking punitive action against two officers found guilty of lapses.

Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria. Photo: PTI

The probe concluded that a surface-to-air missile of the Air Force brought down the Mi-17 aircraft in Kashmir’s Budgam on the morning of February 27 when the Indian and Pakistani air forces were engaged in a fierce dogfight. The chopper may have been shot down under the impression that it was an unmanned Pakistani aerial vehicle.

The Air Chief Marshal reiterated that Pakistan lost an F-16 during the dogfight, a claim that the country has denied. He also said India lost a MiG-21 in aerial engagement with the Pakistan Air Force, which led to the capture and subsequent release of Wing Commander Abhinandan.

One of the officers who is believed to have been found guilty in the friendly fire incident is the senior-most officer of the Srinagar air force base – the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) – when the incident occurred. The officer was subsequently removed from the position.

The other officer who was under scrutiny was the Terminal Weapons Director (TWD), as the person who cleared the missile’s launch. An Economic Times report said the CoI was trying to verify if the TWD was present at the control room when the command to fire the missile was issued, or if he relayed it over a hand-held transmitter.

Previous reports suggested that there had been several lapses contributing to the catastrophe. According to the Hindustan Times, air traffic control asked the chopper to return to base while Indian and Pakistani jets were engaged. “Ideally, the helicopter should have been sent away to a safer zone instead of being called back to the base,” a senior defence ministry official said.

Reports also said that the helicopter was not marked a “red target” by the IAF’s Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) – which monitors incoming aircraft from Pakistan – at Barnala, Punjab.

Another lapse that contributed to the missile being fired was that the helicopter Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system was switched off. The IFF beams a coded signal that helps IAF radars identify the aircraft.

‘Operational preparedness very high’

Despite the admission that the chopper was brought down by friendly fire, Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said the “operational preparedness of the IAF has been of a very high order”. He said the IAF had achieved a number of operational milestones last year, including the Balakot strikes. He was addressing the Air Force’s annual press conference.

He said the IAF is prepared to meet any contingency and does not rest on past laurels. Ahead of the press conference, the IAF also showed representational video clips of the Balakot strikes.

Bhadauria also said acquisition of Rafale aircraft and S400 air defence systems will greatly enhance IAF’s operational capabilities.

The IAF chief said the issue of Pakistan using small drones is “a new threat and some procurements are already in process to tackle the issue”.

(With PTI inputs)

IAF Missile Brought Down Mi-17 Aircraft in Budgam

After nearly six months of investigation, the IAF’s Court of Inquiry also held five personnel of the force responsible for the crash.

A surface-to-air missile of the Indian Air Force brought down the Mi-17 aircraft in Kashmir’s Budgam on the morning of February 27 when the Indian and Pakistani air forces were engaged in a fierce dogfight, a high-level probe has concluded.

After nearly six months of investigation, the IAF’s Court of Inquiry (CoI) also held five personnel of the force responsible for the crash, top government sources said on August 23.

Six IAF personnel on board the chopper and a civilian on the ground were killed in the crash.

The CoI into the incident found that the Mi-17 V-5 helicopter was hit by a ground-based missile of the Indian Air Force when the chopper was on its way back to Srinagar air base, the sources said.

Five IAF personnel, including the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Srinagar base, were held responsible for the crash and all of them are likely to face severe punishment, sources said.

“The guilty personnel will face severe punishment as per provisions of the military law,” said a source, adding that the IAF top brass will decide on the quantum of punishment for those held responsible for the incident.

Also read: Domestic, Regional Implications of Pakistani Army Chief’s Term Extension

The IAF will initiate strong action against the guilty based on the report of the CoI. This could include charging the guilty with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, the sources said.

There is no immediate comment from the IAF on the findings of the probe.

The probe found that the ‘Identification of Friend or Foe’ (IFF) system on-board the helicopter was switched off and there were “vital gaps” in communication and coordination between the ground staff and the crew of the chopper.

It also found violations of standard operating procedures. The IFF helps air defence radars identify whether an aircraft or helicopter is friendly or hostile.

The helicopter crashed in Budgam around 10 am on February 27 when Indian and Pakistani fighter jets were engaged in fierce aerial combat in Nowshera, a day after India’s air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot in Pakistan.

The helicopter went down around 10 minutes after taking off.

Also read: BJP’s Fantasy of Subjugating Pakistan Finds Expression in ‘Kashmiristan’

Official sources said the helicopter was asked to return because of the dogfight 100 km away from Srinagar. A missile was fired at the helicopter as the IAF ground staff thought it was an enemy chopper.

The IAF headquarters had ordered a CoI into the incident under an Air Commodore-ranked officer.

In early May, the IAF transferred the Air Officer Commanding of Srinagar base to ensure a thorough probe into the incident.

Sources said the CoI was also specifically focusing on examining the role of various people, including those controlling the air defence system when the helicopter was hit by the surface-to-air missile.

Five Killed in IAF Chopper Crash in Arunachal Pradesh

The Indian Air force has ordered a court of inquiry to ascertain the cause of the accident that took place while the chopper was on a maintenance mission.

The Indian Air force has ordered a court of inquiry to ascertain the cause of the accident that took place while the chopper was on a maintenance mission.

Image credit: Indianairforce.nic.in

Image credit: Indianairforce.nic.in

New Delhi:  An Mi-17 chopper of the Indian Air Force today crashed near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, killing five personnel on board and leaving another seriously injured, a senior IAF official said.

The crash of the Mi-17 V5 took place at around 6 am when it was on a maintenance mission, the official said.

The official said five personnel on board the chopper were killed while one person received serious injuries.

“A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident,” the official said.

Rescue teams reached the crash site in Tawang near the Indo-China border and admitted the injured personnel to a local hospital.