5 days on, IAF offers Rs 5 lakh for information on AN-32

With the combined might of the military, police and space establishment failing to make any progress in tracing the IAF's missing aircraft even after five days, the government on Saturday announced Rs 5 lakh for information on the AN-32.

Inclement weather briefly affected the search operation before it resumed with the help of Mi-17, advanced light helicopters and Cheetah choppers. The AN-32, a transport aircraft with 13 people on board, went incommunicado in Arunachal Pradesh on Monday.

"Indian Air Force has increased the deployment of its helicopters and transport aircraft and has expanded the search area significantly since the beginning of the operations. More and more area is being covered by airborne sensors and satellites and the imaging is being followed-up by close analysis of the data for its synergistic amalgamation in the search operations," the IAF said in a release.

The operation to locate the AN-32 comes at a time when the air force is saddled with hundreds of old aircraft. It has lost several planes and officers to crashes during sorties as well as key missions.

The Centre's efforts to upgrade the IAF's ageing fleet with new-age jets under the aircraft acquisition programme has hit a wall due to a political row over the purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft from France.

Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa flew to Assam on Saturday to review the search. He has stationed himself at Air Force Station at Jorhat, said officials.

According to a senior officer of Arunachal Pradesh government, the area is near the Indo-China border and completely cut off. The official said, "We are taking help of the locals who are well versed with the terrain. The place where the aircraft was last spotted does not have any inhabitants, there is no mobile network and there is no motorable road making the operations for the ground search parties extremely difficult."

Mishap Galore

• Jan 28: Jaguar crashes in UP
• Feb 1: Mirage lost in Bangalore
• Feb 19: Planes collide during Bangalore Aero show prep, 1 dead
• Feb 27: Mi-17 chopper crash in Budgam, J&K - 7 dead
• June 3: AN-32 with 13 on board goes missing in Arunachal

In The Past

• The AN-32, a transport aircraft with 13 people on board, went incommunicado in Arunachal on Monday 
• The op to locate AN-32 comes when force is saddled with 100s of old planes  
• It has lost planes to crashes during sorties 

—Zee Media Newsroom