IAF Antonov-32 with 13 onboard goes missing
An Antonov AN-32 aircraft of the IAF is missing from Assam’s Jorhat near the China border for the last few hours. After the plane disappeared, the Air Force had launched a search campaign to find it, but till now no information was found about the aircraft. There are 13 people on board this plane. The last contact with the aircraft was at 1 P.M. The crew members include eight crew members and five passengers. After getting information about the incident, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh interacted with Air Force Deputy Chief Rakesh Singh Bhadauria and prayed for the protection of all onboard.
According to the information, the aircraft took off from Jorhat at 12.25 pm, but the contact with the aircraft broke off after 1 P.M in the afternoon. The Air Force has launched a search operation to find the plane. Sukhoi 30 Aircraft and C-130 Special Operation Aircraft have been launched for this campaign.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh took the information of the aircraft from the Deputy Chief of the Air Force
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to the Deputy Chief of the Air Force and took information about the missing plane. He tweeted, “I have spoken to the Air Force Vice Chief Air Marshal Rakesh Singh Bhadauriya about an IAF’s AN-32 aircraft missing for a few hours. They told me of the steps taken by the Indian Air Force to locate the missing plane. I pray for the safety of all the passengers aboard the plane. ‘
AN-32 aircraft had disappeared from the Bay of Bengal in 2016
Earlier in July 2016, an AN-32 transport aircraft of the IAF had disappeared from the Bay of Bengal with 29 people. This aircraft took off from an airbase in Chennai for Andaman and Nicobar islands. About an hour after the flight took off, the contact with the radar was broken. After the disappearance of this aircraft, the Air Force had run the longest search operation till now, which lasted for almost a month. Even after this, the aircraft could not be found.
AN-32 aircraft already crashed in Mechuka
This aircraft has been crashed twice before July 2016. For the first time on March 25, 1986, this plane disappeared from the Indian Ocean. Then this plane was coming to India from Soviet Union via Oman. There were three crew members and four passengers. Then there was nothing known about this plane and those people. After that, on June 10, 2009, the plane had crashed after flying from Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh. At that time, there were 13 people aboard the AN-32 aircraft.
About Antonov An-32 aircraft
Antonov An-32 is a two-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. This aircraft is the modern version of the Russian aircraft AN-26. The biggest feature of this aircraft is that it can take-off in any weather. This aircraft was arranged by the friendly relations between Russia and India at the time of Indira Gandhi’s government and the needs of the Indian Air Force. Its maximum use is to reach military equipment for low and medium air distance, to bring the injured to the hospital during disaster and to transport soldiers from one place to another. Whenever there is a situation like war and natural disaster in India, this aircraft has played an important role. During the Kargil war this plane proved to be crucial in sending the soldiers to distant places.
