The owner of VSR Ventures, whose aircraft carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar crashed, suggests the pilot initiated a 'missed approach' due to poor visibility. The owner vouches for the pilot's experience and the aircraft's maintenance.
"The aircraft was cleared to land on runway 11 at 0843 IST (8.43 am). However, they did not give a readback of the landing clearance (did not respond to ATC). Next, the ATC saw the flames around the threshold of runway 11 at 0844 IST (8.44 am)," the civil aviation ministry statement said.
The Learjet 45 (LJ45), a mid-size business jet aircraft produced by the Learjet Division of Bombardier Aerospace, went off the runway while attempting to land at Baramati airport and burst into flames.
The CBI also carried out searches at the residence and office of controversial arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari in connection with the deal
The parents of Squadron Leader Abhimanyu Rai, an IAF pilot who died in a trainer jet crash in December 2023, have expressed their anguish over being ignored for entitlements and honours that were given to their daughter-in-law. They believe the government policy should be revised to include parents of martyred soldiers. Group Captain Amitabh Rai (retd) and his wife Chitralekha, the bereaved parents, say they have received no condolences from the government despite losing their only son. They argue that the current policy unfairly favors the martyr's wife, often leading to neglect of the parents. The Rais claim their son's death is not being recognized as a "battle casualty" and therefore he is not being treated as a martyr. They also raise concerns about the pressure on IAF trainers to complete training programs successfully, even when cadets are not prepared, potentially endangering both the trainer and the cadet.
The Indian Air Force will order 37 additional Pilatus trainer aircraft from Swiss manufacturer Pilatus Aircraft Company, over and above the 75 trainers the IAF has already contracted for Rs 2,900 crore. That will take to 112 the number of Pilatus PC-7 Mark II trainers on order from the IAF.
The aircraft carried a trainer and a trainee pilot at the time of the crash.
During these seven decades, the IAF has lost 2,374 aircraft to crashes. They include 1,126 fighters and 1,248 non-combat aircraft. In addition, 229 trainers and 196 helicopters have crashed. These crashes have resulted in the deaths of 1,305 skilled pilots, note Ajai Shukla and Devesh Kapur.
The central probe agency had filed a money laundering case to probe the deal and is carrying out the action to collect evidence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), officials said.
HAL's HTT-40 aircraft have outperformed both Swiss Pilatus planes and the IAF's performance criteria. Why then does the IAF prefer the Pilatus to the HTT-40?
'For god's sake, portray the armed forces in the correct manner,' asserts IAF veteran Air Commodore Nitin Sathe after watching Tejas.
Afrid Afroz, 21, who was adjudged best cadet at the NDA's 144th course, will join the Indian Air Force and hopes to be a fighter pilot.
Vapid banalities like 'We will provide our brave jawans with the best equipment in the world' encourage IAF buying sprees such as the Rafale and the Pilatus. Ajai Shukla reports
The Indian Air force has asked the government to procure the Swiss Pilatus basic trainer aircraft to train its rookie pilots instead of a similar aircraft being indigenously developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
The Union defence ministry is pressing ahead with the Rs 1,800 crore purchase of seventy-five PC-7 Mark II basic trainer aircraft from Pilatus Aircraft Ltd of Switzerland.
Indian Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne, has sugarcoated his bid to import 106 basic trainer aircraft from Pilatus Aircraft Co, by proposing that Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd build the trainers in Bengaluru to blueprints supplied by the Swiss company.
The Indian Air Force argued that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's HTT-40 trainer jet would be costlier than the Swiss Pilatus trainer over its 30-year service life. When HAL challenged this contention, the IAF was not able to back it with figures.
Instead of the Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40, which Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd could build, export, overhaul, upgrade and even modify into a light-attack aircraft, powerful lobbies have promoted a Swiss trainer -- the Pilatus PC-7 Mark II.
The Indian Air Force will induct the indigenous HTT 40 basic trainers in "large numbers", which will boost the domestic capability although it was earlier keen for a Swiss aircraft.
The Indian Air Force's long pending requirement of basic trainer aircraft can now be met with the acquisition of 75 Pilatus planes starting later this year under a Rs 2,800 crore deal signed today with the Swiss company.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the Bengaluru-based public sector aircraft builder, has challenged the Indian Air Force's plan to purchase more Pilatus trainer aircraft by building a basic trainer aircraft, using its own funding.
The list of aircraft planned to be inducted by the Air Force include 36 Rafales, 114 Multirole Fighter Aircraft, 100 Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and over 200 variants of the Light Combat Aircraft. "In the next 15 years, 83 LCAs are our primary focus, after that LCA Mark 2 will come in we are looking at close to 100 of those, that makes it near 200 of LCA class," Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria told ANI in an interview.
The army, air force and navy will all benefit from the defence ministry's approval of 'Make in India' equipment.
Seven years ago, an IAF chief had ordered the HTT-40 to be removed from the Yelahanka air base. The IAF now wants HAL to build 108 HTT-40 aircraft.
An IAF "request for information" floated on the MoD website invites Indian companies to submit preliminary bids to supply the IAF with 106 PC-7 Mk II trainers. Ajai Shukla reports
The test flight is a victory for public sector undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, which has strongly backed the Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 project, defying a skeptical Indian Air Force
In a boost to 'Make in India, the HTT-40 rolled out of the hangar with all its lights flashing and its cockpit powered on.
HAL made its point against a sceptical Indian Air Force, which opposed the HTT-40 project, blocked funding, and imported an expensive Swiss trainer rather than backing the HTT-40.
The Pilatus PC-12 single-engine turboprop aircraft that crashed into a densely-populated colony in Old Faridabad, killing all seven on board and three on the ground, first swirled around the entire colony before crashing.
The Indian Air Force on Thursday put up a scintillating display as part of its 83rd anniversary celebrations.
'If UAV technology is used by the adversary to target VIPs or strategic targets it would be a different ball game altogether,' says Group Captain Murli Menon (retd).
Sub Lieutenant Shivangi, the daughter of a village headmaster in Bihar, will conduct maritime reconnaissance and search and rescue missions.
"Many people who had some links with Agusta, I am not saying illegitimate links, but some links with Agusta procurement and supply, were given good positions," Parrikar told PTI in an interview.
The Indian Air Force put its might on display at the full dress rehearsal on Tuesday, ahead of the 83rd Air Force Day on October 8, at the Hindon air base in Ghaziabad.
Even as three Rafale fighters line up in Bengaluru for eye-popping aerobatics displays at the Aero India 2015 exhibition this week, senior ministry of defence sources say the proposal to buy the French fighter is "effectively dead".
One of the most sought after exhibitions in Asia, as many as 549 companies are participating this year with 53 fighter aircraft on display.
India's indigenous basic trainer aircraft, Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40), undertook its inaugural flight at the at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Airport in Bengaluru on Friday.
The political row over the Rafale deal intensified on Tuesday with the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party trading barbs over it.
In a fresh bid to break the Bofors jinx, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday cleared proposal to acquire 814 artillery guns for Rs 15,750 crore.
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