NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has given an explanation to the Delhi High Court regarding the firing of a BrahMos supersonic missile that landed in Pakistan two years ago.
The IAF told the High Court that combat connectors of the Brahmos missile “remained connected to the junction box” which led to firing in Pakistan, according to The Economic Times.
The Air Force added that the incident caused a loss of 25 crore to the government exchequer. The IAF also told the court that the incident had the “effect of affecting the relations” between India and Pakistan.
The IAF’s Court of Inquiry examined 16 witnesses and found Group Captain Saurabh Gupta, Squadron Leader Pranjal Singh, and Wing Commander Abhinav Sharma – all members of the Combat Team – responsible for the incident.
The incident caused a “potential threat to any airborne/ground object/personnel and also caused damage to the reputation of Indian Air Force and the nation at large and a loss of 24,90,85,000.00 to the government exchequer,” the IAF said as per The Economic Times.
The reply has been filed in response to a petition filed by Wing Commander Abhinav Sharma in the Delhi High Court ascribing blame on the Air Commodore and Squadron Leader for “ignoring” safety precautions.
On 9 March 2022, India fired a BrahMos missile into Pakistan, with human error causing the unprecedented incident. The IAF attributed the incident to a technical malfunction during routine maintenance.
