Ukraine to upgrade IAF's 100 Antonov cargo planes

Left with an aging cargo aircraft fleet, India said on Wednesday that it has signed a deal with an Ukraine firm to modernise its 100 medium lift AN-32 aircraft.

The contract, worth over USD 400 million, was signed between Ukrainian military export monopolist Ukrspetsexport and India to upgrade the twin-engine turboprop planes operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The Kiev-headquartered Antonov Aircraft Company will give the eponymous 20-tonne-capacity aircraft "a full upgrade of on-board communications and navigation systems," defence ministry officials said here.

The Antonov-32s are the lifeline of Indian soldiers battling uninhabitable weather conditions and the harsh terrain to protect the icy heights of Siachen Glacier, once described as the world's highest battlefield.

The aircraft is mainly used for carrying cargo, supplies and troops to Siachen, where guns fell silent following a November 2003 ceasefire accord with Pakistan, and for transportation of personnel and equipment in other parts of the country.

Incidentally, IAF lost one of its AN-32 aircraft in a crash in Arunachal Pradesh just about a week ago, in which seven IAF men, including the air crew, and six army personnel were killed.