LIVE: Indian Air Force plane Antonov AN-32 still missing, Parrikar rushes to Chennai

Students in Jammu pray for missing IAF plane AN-32

In a show of solidarity, students in Jammu pray for the missing Indian Air Force plane.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar reaches Chennai

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has reached Tambaram air base near Chennai to monitor the search operation, reports ANI. He will also be doing an aerial survey. 

The passengers on board included a woman IAF officer of flight lieutenant rank who is married to a Coast Guard officer based in Port Blair.

The aircraft was reportedly last spotted on the radar at about 9.15 am over 150 nautical miles from Chennai coast.

The aircraft is reported to have had some minor problems this month.

The Navy in a statement said Eastern Naval Command deployed two P8i long-range maritime patrol aircraft with advanced electro-optics and radars, two Dornier aircraft and 12 ships with integral helicopters to join the search operations.

Navy and Air Force comes together for AN-32 rescue ops

While IAF has pressed into service a C130 plane along with two AN 32, the Navy has deployed two P8i maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft from the strategically important Port Blair, home to India’s only tri-service command. The Navy has also pressed into service two Dornier aircraft and 12 ships with the Eastern Fleet Commander on board for the search and rescue operation.

Navy spokesperson Captain D K Sharma said, “Navy has been deployed in full force in the Bay of Bengal for the search and rescue operation.”

Coast Guard has rushed four ships to the spot besides two dorniers.

The Russian built twin engine AN 32 aircraft had undergone an upgrade in Ukraine. IAF has a fleet of over 100 AN32s but the multi-million dollar upgrade programme has been hit due to the crisis in Ukraine.

IAF’s AN 32 still missing, but efforts are being made to trace it: Parrikar

“The plane is still missing. All efforts are being done to trace the plane and the service personnel travelling on board,” Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told PTI in the evening.

The 29 people on board the Air Force’s workhorse for a long period included six crew members, two of them pilots and one navigator. Besides, there were 11 personnel from the IAF including an officer, two from the Army, one from the Coast Guard and 9 from the navy which included some from its armament depot.

“The plane, which was on a routine courier service, took off at about 0830 hours from Tambaram and it was scheduled to land at Port Blair at 1130 hours but it is overdue,” IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Anupam Banerjee said.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to visit Chennai

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will visit Chennai on Saturday to oversee search operations after an Indian Air Force (IAF) AN-32 transport plane carrying 29 people went missing after it took off on Friday morning.

Ukraine-Russia conflict stalled upgradation of ageing Indian Air Force plane Antonov AN-32

The missing Indian Air Force AN-32 aircraft on Friday over the Bay of Bengal on its way from Chennai to Port Blair brings back into focus one of the perennial issues that constantly plague the Indian defence establishment — slow up-gradation of military equipment.

Although directly linking the missing aircraft with the slow up-gradation programme immediately would be premature, a simple fact that an aircraft with advanced capabilities would have better safety features can also not be overlooked. From financial issues to bureaucratic tangles, the reasons for delay in defence up-gradation schedules are often many. However, the delay in getting the IAF AN-32 fleet has been for external causes, largely geopolitical, due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Missing AN-32 flight reported three technical snags within one month

The Antonov AN-32 aircraft that went missing on Friday morning has reportedly faced technical hitches thrice within the month of July. According to CNN News18, on 2 July, the aircraft reported sluggish throttle movement, on 7 July there was a complaint about a hydraulic leak from the port wing and on 14 July a pressure leak was reported from port door.

According to reports, the aircraft was last serviced and overhauled in September 2015.

Eight civilians among 29 on-board the missing AN-32 aircraft

Of the 29 people on-board the missing AN-32 aircraft, six are flight crew members,12 are IAF personnel,one each from Navy, Coast guard, and Army, while eight are civilians.

More than 8 hours have passed since the Indian Air force aircraft AN-32 has gone missing with 29 people on-board. The Navy spokesperson has said that the search and rescue operations will continue till the aircraft is traced.

The Navy has diverted a submarine to trace any underwater signals of the missing aircraft along with 12 ships and 2 Dornier aircrafts that are deployed in the search operations.

Manohar Parrikar says all efforts are being made to retrace the missing plane

According to CNN News 18, the mising AN-32 aircraft was last spotted at 9.32 am on the military radar. It was flying at an altitude of 23000 ft, when it reportedly took a steep left turn and descended. Union Defence minister Manohar Parrikar has said that all efforts are being made to trace the missing aircraft and the security personnel on-board. 

Indian Navy launches submarine

In an effort to find the the missing IAF AN-32 aircraft, Indian Navy launches one submarine for underwater detection of any transmission or signal.

IAF Chief briefs Manohar Parrikar

IAF Chief Arup Raha briefs Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar

Crew onboard: What we know so far

On the Antonov AN-32, Flight lieutenant (pilot), Badsara and flight officer (co-pilot) Nandal, flight lieutenant Kunal (navigator) and engineer Ranjan were present.

As reported by India Today

Plane goes silent at 9.45 am; 8 naval armaments personnel on the flight

IAF and Navy fear the worst. There were 8 naval armament personnel on the flight. According to India Today, the plane went missing at 9.45 am.

Antonov AN-32 has been in 9 crashes so far

Read this detailed Firstpost piece for more.

Kiren Rijiju recieves information on missing IAF aircraft

I’ve just received information,will have to talk to Defence Ministry

Wing Commander Anupam Banerjee: Will put all assets available in search op

Aircraft IAF AN-32 is overdue. IAF has launched search and rescue ops. There were 29 people on board

IAF plane AN-32 got airborne at 8:30am in morn, was expected to reach Port Blair by 11.30 am. 29 people were onboard

We will put all assets available with us in search operation for IAF aircraft AN-32

Watch: ‘Visibility in the Bay of Bengal is the biggest problem rescue ships will face’ GJ Singh, Retd Commander

IMD shows adverse weather conditions prevalent in the region

Watch: Weather could have affected the flight

According to reports, there was turbulent weather all the way from Chennai to Port Blair. Reports suggest that the plane went missing amid turbulent weather conditions.

IAF, Navy and Coast Guard join in

The IAF, Navy and Coast Guard joined in to launch a massive search operation on the Bay of Bengal.

Experts discuss weather conditions

Several defence and meteorological experts discussed whether the monsoons could have adversely affected the flight path.

IAF aircraft went off radar 16 minutes after taking flight

The IAF aircraft AN32 went off the radar 16 minutes after taking off from Tambaram at 8.30 am

C-130J launched for rescue mission

IAF launches one C-130J and one AN-32 for search and rescue operations.

AN-32: All you need to know

More than 240 of the AN-32 aircrafts are being operated in countries, which have adverse climate conditions, including India, Sri Lanka, Columbia, Peru, Mexico, Afghanistan and African countries.

Read this detailed report on Firstpost about the Indian Air Force’s AN-32.

AN-32 made last contact at 8.46 am

According to latest reports, last contact with Indian Air Force AN-32 aircraft was at 8.46 am, flight level was at 23000 feet, distance covered 1375 kilometers.

Air Marshal Philip Rajkumar: Daylight would make it easier for search ops

Daylight will make it easier for IAF rescue ops, otherwise the Navy will have to be roped in with increased capacity.

As reported on Times Now

Watch:  DK Sharma, Navy PRO speaks on IAF AN-32 plane that went missing for over an hour on its way to Port Blair

“The navy has launched a full scale SAR, as of now we have called it an overdue. We have launched two P8-Is and three Dornier aircrafts and four of the ships in the Bya of Bengal have been asked to rush to the spot. The ETD of arrival for the flight was supposed to be at 11.30am, unfortunately it has not arrived there.”

P8-I (Poseidon) and Dornier aircrafts deployed

The Poseidon is armed with harpoon block missiles and is called the “country’s intelligent hawk eyes.” The aircraft has also achieved a number of operational milestones which includes participation in the search effort for Malaysian Airlines MH370.

The P-8I has a maximum speed of 907 kmph and an operating range of 1200 nautical miles. 

The Dornier 228 is the most versatile and most advanced high-wing aircraft in its class.

Rescue mission demonstration

AN-32: Antonov, a new Russian plane

“The An-32 from the backbone of the IAF’s medium lift capabilities. Originally equipping six operational squadrons and a training unit, several of the type has now been put into storage. The An-32s were hit hard by the chaos in the ex-USSR as spares became harder to obtain. In response to these problems, the IAF successfully fitted several An-32s with An-12 power plants upon the retirement of the latter, and put a number airframes into storage. Although the spares problem is no longer as acute as in the early 1990s, the IAF has seen fit to keep the type flying with four operational squadrons and prevent wear & tear on the rest. The IAF still maintains one and a half squadrons of Hs.748 military freighters. The retirement of these aircraft in the near future is bound to affect the IAF airlift capabilities. It is not yet clear what aircraft the IAF considering as replacements for the type, although a fleeting interest has been shown in the ATR-42. The An-32s will also need replacements by the end of the decade as spares become harder to come by and airframe life will rapidly expire. The IAF Do-228 light transports are relatively new and the type is still in production in-country and one can expect the type to stick around well into the future.”

According to Bharat Rakshak

Rescue ops on

Full scale search and rescue operation has been launched in in Bay of Bengal for IAF aircraft AN-32. One P8 I and one Dornier aircraft launched. Four Indian Navy ships diverted to join in search and rescue operations.

Wing Commander, Praful Bakshi on Times Now:

What goes on in the IAF control room when the air-craft goes missing — the radar in the area are monitored and there is a beacon on the aircraft which is support to give constant transmission. The coast guard and the navy have already activated that.

AN-32: A reliable aircraft

The AN-32 is an old plane, but is a reliable aircraft with a good record. It is a Russian plane and has serviced the IAF across the world.

People onboard: 6 crew members, 23 others

According to a Times Now report, there are 4 crew members on board the IAF AN-32 and there are 25 others on the plane as well.

However, PTI reports that there were 6 crew members.

The nature of this flight is military and is in the chennai flight information region.

The plane was on courier duty

This means that the airplane was intended to send mail, letters to Port Blair along with people. The plane lost radio contact and if officially missing.