As the search and rescue mission for the missing AN-32 aircraft of IAF entered the seventh day, the Government on Friday said in Parliament it had sought US help in locating the plane with 29 personnel on board. It went missing on Friday last week while flying from Chennai to Port Blair.
Giving the latest status report to members in the Rajya Sabha, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar also said the possibility of sabotage was “comparatively very less.” He made this observation when the Elders expressed concern as to how the plane went missing.
“I can’t speculate because we are searching for it and I will not like to speculate. But I can say only this much. The possibility, although we are checking all angles, of any sabotage is comparatively very less because they have standard operating procedures.”
On the ongoing rescue mission, the minister said the government has sought help from the US for detection of satellite images and is seeking help from American defence forces to ascertain whether their satellites had picked up any signal before the disappearance of the plane.
Appreciating the concern of the members, Parrikar said at the time of disappearance, the aircraft was on “secondary/passive radar” and that “there was no SOS or transmission of any frequency. It just disappeared so that is the worrying part.”
Sharing details of the search operation so far, he said 10 Indian Navy ships as well as submarine ‘Sindhudhwaj’ are carrying searches and “virtually checking up everything.” Parrikar also said he was personally monitoring the situation.