As a somber Indian Air Force (IAF)
began processes to lay to rest its nine warriors who died in the freak mid-air
collision of two Mi-17 helicopters, Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne flew down to
Jamnagar airbase in Gujarat on Friday to instill confidence among his men.
In the second mid-air collision of two IAF helicopters (the first
was in 1967 when two Mi-4 collided with each other) on Thursday the force had
lost five officers and four other ranks. On Friday, the force started taking
the remains of its bravehearts to their respective families after
identification and post-mortem of the bodies.
“The IAF Chief was in Jamnagar to meet the pilots,
technicians and ground crew at the base and to reassure them to continue with their
mission,” IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Gerard Galway said. The IAF Chief’s
visit came as the force suffered its fourth crash on Thursday.
“Interacting with them, he acknowledged the fine job being
done by the aircrew and technicians and urged them to continue to do so with
grit and determination while maintaining high standards of efficiency with
adequate margins of operational safety,” the IAF spokesperson added. Earlier
the IAF Chief, an experienced pilot himself, had flown in Sukhoi Su-30MKI to
instill confidence in the bird after they suffer a slew of crashes.
After ceremonies and wreath-laying by the IAF Chief and other
top brass of the Air Force, the remains of the two pilots, two co-pilots, two
Engineers, two gunnery officers and one other IAF personnel were taken to their
families. The cremation of the air warriors will take place on Saturday will
complete military honours. The dead included some top aviators from the IAF’s Tactics
and Air Combat Development Establishment, the force’s equivalent of the US’ Top
Gun institute for marine pilots.
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