Three IAF officers sacked for BrahMos missile misfire over Pakistan

NEW DELHI: The defence ministry on Tuesday terminated the services of three Indian Air Force (IAF) officers for the accidental firing of a BrahMos missile which landed in Pakistan on March 9 this year.
Just 7 minutes after launch, the unarmed BrahMos missile had landed 124km inside Pakistan. Following the misfire, the defence ministry had described the incident as "deeply regrettable" while Pakistan lodged a strong protest over it.
A Court of Inquiry into the misfire found that the three IAF officers had deviated from the standard operating procedure which led to the incident.

The officials who have been terminated from service include a Group Captain, a Wing Commander and a Squadron Leader. The IAF said the officers were served the termination orders on Tuesday.
"A BrahMos missile was accidentally fired on March 9. A Court of Inquiry set up to establish the facts of the case, including fixing responsibility for the incident, found that deviation from the Standard Operating Procedures by three officers led to the accidental firing of the missile," an official statement said.
"These three officers have primarily been held responsible for the incident. Their services have been terminated with immediate effect," it said.

Though the missile crashed harmlessly near Mian Chunnu town in Pakistan, the incident reinforced the urgent need for the two countries to put in place robust nuclear confidence-building and risk-reduction measures given that the flight-times of missiles are so short.
Initially, the defence ministry had said the misfire was caused by a technical malfunction in the course of routine maintenance of the missile.
On March 15, defence minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament that SOPs for operations, maintenance, and inspection of such systems were being reviewed.
(With inputs from agencies)