IAF sacks 3 officers for accidental firing of Brahmos missile that landed in Pakistan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 23

The government on Tuesday terminated the services of three Indian Air Force (IAF) officers after finding them blameworthy for the accidental firing of a BrahMos missile from a base near Ambala on March 9. The missile had landed in an open field in Pakistan.

Brahmos landed in Pakistan

March 9: When supersonic BrahMos was accidentally fired from near Ambala

124 km inside Pakistan (near Mian Channu) the missile landed

3,200 km per hour (or Mach 2) the speed at which it travelled

Norms violated

• A CoI found deviation from the standard operating procedures (SOPs) by the three officers
• A Group Capt, 2 Wing Commanders sacked after being held primarily responsible
• The CoI, led by Air Vice Marshall, looked into the role of at least four IAF officials
• SOPs are a series of steps that need to be completed before a missile is fired
• After the accidental firing, the IAF in April changed all SOPs for handling of missiles

The services of a Group Captain and two Wing Commanders have been terminated with immediate effect. “A court of inquiry (Col), set up to establish the facts of the case and fix responsibility, found that deviation from the standard operating procedures (SOPs) led to the accidental firing,” the IAF said.

The Air Force said the three officers had “primarily been held responsible for the incident”. The initial probe indicated a “human error”, and not a technical fault, had led to the fire. The CoI found the Commanding Officer (Group Captain) and others “blameworthy of serious operational lapse”. The IAF decided to terminate the services of the three officers as the matter was seen a serious lapse capable of triggering a war between India and Pakistan. With both nations possessing some 100 nuclear warheads each, the firing could have had serious ramifications.

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