IAF terminates 3 officers in missile firing case

Tags: Defence

The Indian Air Force (IAF) Court of Inquiry (Col) has terminated the service of three Indian Air Force officers in connection with the accidental firing of the BrahMos missile in Pakistan.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• In the investigation report of the Air Force, the three officers have been found guilty of not following the SOP.

• The BrahMos missile was wrongly fired on 9 March 2022.

What was the incident ?

• On March 9 this year, an 'unarmed' supersonic BrahMos missile of India inadvertently fell in Mia Channu area of Pakistan during inspection.

• No one was killed in this incident, but the cold-storage on which it had fallen was completely destroyed.

• Pakistan had strongly objected to this incident and demanded a joint-investigation.

• Taking this incident seriously, the Government of India had ordered a high-level inquiry, as well as ordered a review of the SOPs related to the maintenance of the missiles.

About BrahMos missile : 

• BrahMos is a short-range ramjet, supersonic cruise missile.

• It can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or even from land.

• It has been jointly developed by Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia and India's Defence Research and Development Organisation.

• Brahmos is named after the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva river of Russia.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -

Features of BrahMos :

• It can change course in the air and can also hit the moving target.

• It can fly at a height of 10 metres and is not caught by radar.