IAF's Super Hercules aircraft crashes near Gwalior, 5 dead

In a blow to the Indian Air Force, its latest acquisition, a C-130J Super Hercules  today crashed near Gwalior resulting in the death of five persons. CNN-IBN reported that the giant cargo aircraft had taken off from Agra on a training flight when it crashed around 72 miles from Gwalior. The channel reported that the crash took place in a desolate area and it could take time to get emergency vehicles there. It wasn’t clear how many crew were on board or their condition following the crash. The Indian Air Force said that five persons were killed in the accident. [caption id=“attachment_1454909” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A representational image of the plane. Reuters[/caption] The aircraft was  last reportedly used during the search operations for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. It was also used during rescue operations following the Uttarakhand floods last year. The Indian Air Force has also shown off its capabilities in using the aircraft by landing it on challenging airstrips like the one in Ladakh and Jammu. The Indian Air Force has said that a court of inquiry has been ordered into the incident. The aircraft has been pressed into service for transporting special forces from the capital to other places in the country and to reduce response time for emergencies. The US government had offered a unique C-130J configuration for special mission roles and these are the first uniquely configured aircraft in the IAF fleet for its special operations. India has signed a Rs 4,000-crore deal with the US in 2013 for procuring six more C-130J Super Hercules Special Operations aircraft for the Indian Air Force. The aircraft can perform precision low-level flying and landing in blackout conditions. Special features are included to ensure aircraft survivability in hostile air defence environment.