NEW DELHI: Five Air Force personnel were killed in an AN-32 transport aircraft crash in Assam on Saturday morning, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said in a statement.“The Indian Air Force deeply regrets the loss of five personnel in the An-32 accident at Jorhat, Assam. Sqn Ldr Prashant Singh, Flt Lt Shubham Kumar, Sgt Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat and Agniveervayu Danish Alam made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. IAF extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved families and stands firmly with them in this hour of grief,” the IAF said in its latest post on X updating about the crash.
Giving the details about the crash, the IAF said the “aircraft met with an accident during a routine sortie today at approximately 1000h at Jorhat, Assam. Crash site management and initial enquiries are on at this time.”Antonov An-32 is a twin-engine military transport aircraft that serves as the backbone of the IAF’s medium-lift fleet. The IAF currently operates a fleet of approximately 100 An-32 aircraft.
Originally designed and built in the erstwhile Soviet Union at the request of the IAF, it is highly capable in remote and high-altitude regions. Powered by two highly elevated turboprop engines, the transport aircraft can carry up to 7,500 kg of cargo, 50 passengers or 42 paratroopers. It is being used by the IAF for tactical airlifting, troop transport, and remote-area resupply.The IAF is planning to replace the aging An-32 fleet with newer medium transport aircraft like Airbus C-295, whose first made-in-India aircraft recently completed its maiden test flight from the final assembly line in Vadodara, Gujarat.