The Indian Air Force on Wednesday stated that one of its fighter jets ejected an “air store” in the vicinity of the Pokhran firing range because of a technical snag. The IAF, in a statement on social media platform X, dispelled any influence, as there were no losses of lives or property in the incident.
It said the accident occurred during a normal flying operation when the air store, which is ammunition or equipment normally carried in aircraft, was accidentally released. The details of the particular type of air store involved have not been revealed. A culture of blaming incidents has been ruled out to determine the failure’s root cause.
In its post, the IAF stated: “There was a technical snag during the IAF fighter aircraft sorties over the Pokhran firing range leading to an inadvertent release of an air store. The issue has already been reported for an inquiry. An IAF statement added that no loss of life or property has been reported.
The test firing range is situated at Pokhran in the Thar desert in Rajasthan. It is used by the Indian armed forces for training exercises and testing new technologies for launching missiles.
It brings to mind another accident that occurred in the early part of this year: a BrahMos missile was mistakenly launched from India into Pakistan. The unarmed one hit Mian Channu in the Khanewal District of Punjab. The structure was damaged, and a crater was left in the field, of course, which caused quite a stir among the locals.
The Indian authorities quickly made the necessity of the missile launch an act of accident and technical malfunction when carrying out maintenance work, thus avoiding what could have been a huge diplomatic disaster. That is why losses for the incident were estimated at about ₹25 crore, as the IAF stated at the Delhi High Court hearings, and that is why three officers, including Wing Commander, were dismissed for gross negligence.
