AN-32 search Day 5: Indian Air Force is currently using Aviation Research Centre’s Global 5000 surveillance aircraft and NTRO spy satellites along with other assets to locate the missing AN-32 aircraft, government sources said on Friday. The specialist sensors installed in the assets could help in getting better imagery of ground. It has been reported that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh being regularly updated about the search and rescue operations. The union minister has been instructed to use all possible resources to locate the plane and its occupants. The missing Indian Air Force Antonov AN-32 aircraft which went off radar on Monday, June 2, 2019.

The AN-32’s flight path was Payum Payum village of Siang district in Arunachal Pradesh. Based on eyewitness accounts, the AN-32 search operation is being conducted around Molo and Tumbin. This map shows the possible flight path based on an article by AVM Kukreja.

AN-32 search operation Day 5: Updates so far

  • Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft P8I took off from INS Rajali, Arakonam, Tamil Nadu for the ongoing search operations for missing AN32. The aircraft is trying to locate the missing plane with help of its onboard Electro-Optical and Infra-Red sensors in thickly forested areas. It has a very powerful Synthetic Aperture Radar which is being utilised during the SAR sweeps to locate the AN-32.
  • The country’s military and satellite resources have been deployed to trace an Indian Air Force’s missing AN-32 transport aircraft.
  • Sukhoi-30 fighter jet, C130-J Super Hercules transport aircraft, ALH Dhruv helicopters, Cheetah Helicopters and aircraft carrying specialised sensors were pressed into service to trace the
    missing plane.
  • Civil, police and local administrative agencies have intensified AN-32 search operation based on human and sensor inputs.
  • A group of hunters from Arunachal Pradesh have been sent on foot to find the missing plane.
Ashish Tanwar, AN-32 pilot
File photo of missing AN-32 aircraft pilot Ashish Tanwar. Family members of Tanwar met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, recently.
Flight Lieutenant Mohit Garg, AN-32 accident, IAF
Twenty-seven-year-old IAF Flight Lieutenant Mohit Garg belongs to Samana town in Punjab’s Patiala district.
Sumit Mohanty, AN-32 co-pilot, IAF
Sumit Mohanty from Odisha, co-pilot of the ill-fated AN-32, is still missing.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar tweet: 

There were 13 Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel, eight crew and five passengers, on board the ill-fated AN-32 military transport aircraft. Here are the names of the missing Indian IAF personnel as per reports and social media:

1. Flight Lieutenant M Garg
2. Wing Commander Charles
3. Flight Lieutenant Mohanty
4. Flight Lieutenant Tanwar
5. S/L Vinod
6. Flight Lieutenant Thapa
7. Sergent Anoop
8. Captain Sharin
9. WO KK Mishra
10. LAC Pankaj
11. LAC SK Singh
12. NC(E) Rajesh Kumar
13. NC(E) Putali

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