Luck eludes the massive search and rescue operation mounted by the IAF to locate the AN-32 aircraft, with 13 on board, that is missing since Monday last week.
The plane went missing near the Mechuka advanced landing ground in Arunachal Pradesh after taking off from Jorhat. Aircraft, helicopters, satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) besides ground troops patrolling the rugged and densely forested mountainous area where the plane was feared to have crashed are working relentlessly but success evades the operation.
The IAF also announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh to anyone providing information about the location of the aircraft over the week end. IAF Chief BS Dhanoa visited Jorhat last week to review the search efforts and also met the families of missing personnel. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had also met some of the family members in New Delhi some days back and assured them of all possible help.
As regards the search operation, bad weather on Sunday due to rains and low clouds did not allow the two MI-17 helicopters and four advanced light helicopters to carry out low level sorties over the area where the ill-fated AN-32 could have gone down. On Monday, the helicopters along with C-13J special operations planes besides UAVs resumed the effort but no sighting of the plane so far, officials said later in the day.
In all two SU-30 fighter jets, two C-130Js, one long range P-8 I reconnaissance aircraft and satellites of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)are mapping the area for the last seven days to find the AN-32. The plane took off from Jorhat at 12.25 pm for Mechuka and lost radio contact at about one pm. As the flying time is about 50 minutes between Jorhat and Mechuka is 50 minutes and when the AN-32 failed to land at its destination, the IAF launched the search operation. The distance between Jorhat and Mechuka is206 km as the crow flies.
Located at an altitude of nearly 6,000 feet, the Mechuka advanced landing ground in West Siang district is the lifeline for troops stationed at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) facing China. The planes and helicopters ferry personnel, food and ammunition for the troops and the landing ground is located about 30 kms from the LAC as the crow flies thereby making it strategically important for maintaining operational readiness.
As regards the effort, officials the area of search is mountainous and heavily forested with thick undergrowth. The weather in the area has been inclement with low clouds and rain during most hours.
Combined with the inhospitable terrain, the weather has posed serious challenges to aerial search operations, they said.
Unable to the find the AN-32 in a triangular area near Mecuka, the IAF has now increased the deployment of its helicopters and transport aircraft and has expanded the search area significantly they said adding more and more area is being covered by air-borne sensors and satellites and the imaging is being followed up by close analysis of the data. Moreover, the IAF is regularly keeping the families of the missing personnel abreast of the rescue operation.
The AN-32 is a Russian origin twin-engine turboprop aircraft and the IAF currently operates about 100 planes. Incidentally, an AN-32 had crashed near Mechuka in 2009 killing all 13 passengers. The same year India inked a 400-million dollar contract with Ukraine for upgrading the entire fleet and 50 of them have been retrofitted. However, the ill-fated AN-32 which went missing last week is not upgraded.
