The armed forces may contend they have drastically brought down the rate from around 30 crashes per year prevalent in the 1971-1972 to 2003-2004 time frame. But the figures still remain high

NEW DELHI: Military aviation is inherently risky, with fighters and helicopters being stretched to their very limits, often in tough conditions. But the crash rate in the Indian armed forces remains unacceptably high, with three fighters and two Hawk jet trainers crashing in the last 23 days, killing three pilots and injuring several others.

Are pilots being forced to fly virtually obsolete machines in absence of new inductions? Are aircraft and helicopters poorly-maintained, overhauled and upgraded by defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) and IAF’s base repair depots? Are pilots and technicians inadequately trained in absence of the requisite number of trainer aircraft, simulators and other aids? Are spares also a major problem?

Yes, all these factors combine in varying degrees to make a treacherous mix for military pilots. The armed forces may contend they have drastically brought down the rate from around 30 crashes per year prevalent in the 1971-1972 to 2003-2004 time frame. But the figures still remain high. Just since 2015-2016, the three Services have lost over 40 aircraft and helicopters in crashes, which have claimed close to 50 lives.


“The root cause is technology. The older the technology, the more prone it is to accidents. Newer technologies have inherent safety features. For instance, MiG-21s will have more accidents per 10,000 hours of flying than Mirage-2000s,” said Air Marshal P S Ahluwalia (Retd), who commanded the Western Air Command.

Down to just 31 fighter squadrons (16-18 jets in each) when at least 42 are needed to face the collusive China-Pakistan threat, IAF still operates six MiG-21 and MiG-27 squadrons that should have been retired a decade ago. Similarly, the armed forces have for long been desperate to junk their old single-engine Cheetah/Chetak light utility helicopters, based on technologies of the 1960s vintage, but to no avail.

The armed forces have also been demanding a drastic overhaul of HAL. “Though the court of inquiry (CoI) will establish the exact causes, there were clearly technical issues in the recent crashes of a Jaguar, Mirage-2000 and MiG-27, which are overhauled and serviced by HAL, because the pilots ejected in all (the two Mirage pilots did not survive),” said Air Marshal SBP Sinha, who recently retired as the Central Air Command chief.

“Similarly, in the mid-air collision of the two Hawk advanced jet trainers on Tuesday, the CoI will have to find out whether it was pilot error because aerobatics is a high-risk activity, or was it a technical failure that led to loss of control. Remember, a newly produced Sukhoi-30MKI by HAL had crashed in Nasik in July 2018,” Sinha added.

There is also the issue of rookie pilots and technicians not getting adequate training and mentoring to handle increased cockpit workloads and technological demands. “Errors of judgement can be made under stress, spatial disorientation, lack of situational awareness etc,” said a fighter pilot.

Incidentally, the CoI into the crash of a new C-130J ‘Super Hercules’ aircraft near Gwalior in March 2014, which killed the five personnel on board, blamed “inadequate experience and training of crew”. This when a C-130J training simulator remained unused for almost four years due to “non-finalisation of usage contract” with aircraft-manufacturer Lockheed Martin.