Third crash in 10 years: What to know about IAF’s AN-32, the Soviet-origin military transport aircraft  

What is the AN-32?

The AN-32 is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft. The IAF has employed it as a tactical transport aircraft since its induction into the force. The aircraft can carry a maximum weight of 27 tons at a maximum speed of 530 km/h. It can carry up to 6.7 tons of cargo or 50 passengers, making it the preferred choice for transport of men and cargo across different terrain.

The aircraft can cover small to medium ranges and can operate from far-flung airfields with minimum ground infrastructure, thus enabling it to play critical roles during a conflict, especially in the mobilisation of men and material and with its limited bombing role. The aircraft is also used for paratrooping operations. During the Kargil war with Pakistan in 1999 and subsequently in Operation Parakram in 2001-02, the aircraft played a critical role in transporting personnel and cargo to border areas through multiple sorties.

Multiple fire engines seen outside the Jorhat Air Force station where the AN-32 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed. ANI

Modernisation programme

After an AN-32 crashed in 2009, India signed a $400-million contract with Ukrainian manufacturer Antonov to upgrade most of the IAF’s 105 AN-32s through the overhaul of its airframes and its turboprop engines. The programme also involved fitting the platforms with advanced avionics, navigation and communication equipment.

The programme, however, stalled after Russia formally annexed the Crimea region in 2014. Subsequently, India and Ukraine agreed to resume the upgrades, with Kyiv having developed some alternatives to the Russian-made systems on the aircraft. The upgrade had been underway at the IAF’s base repair depot (BRD) in Kanpur, with equipment transferred from Ukraine. About half of the planes had been modernised in Ukraine, and 38 have been at the BRD.

Safety record

The AN-32 is generally considered to be among the most reliable transport aircraft in the IAF’s inventory But the crash of the AN-32 in Jorhat is the third major one involving this aircraft since 2016. Here’s a look at the previous incidents:

*On July 22, 2016, an AN-32 went missing while flying over the Bay of Bengal, from Tambaram Air Force Station, Chennai, to Port Blair, killing 29 people on board.

*On June 3, 2019, an AN-32 crashed in the hilly terrain when it was heading to Mechuka in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, near the border with China, killing 13 people on board. The wreck was found over a week after the aircraft went missing.

*There was another major crash on 10 June 2009, when an IAF AN-32 crashed at around the same place in Arunachal Pradesh, killing all 13 people on board.

Plans to replace ageing fleet

The IAF has been looking to buy new aircraft under the Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) programme to replace the ageing AN-32 and the Ilyushin Il-76 fleets.

In March this year, the Ministry of Defence said the induction of the MTA will meet the strategic, tactical, and operational airlift requirements of the services, when the Defence Acquisition Council headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh cleared the procurement.