Pressure fuse used in J&K drone attack hints at Pak military role: Probe team

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 11

The investigation into the Jammu Air Force Station drone attack has revealed that the technique of “pressure fuse” used in the bombs indicates the role of Pakistan army or the ISI in helping the Lashkar-e-Toiba in fabricating the IEDs, sources in the probe agency said.

First-of-its-kind terror strike

• June 27: Two blasts rock the IAF base in Jammu, injuring two IAF personnel
• 1.37 am: The first blast rips off concrete roof of a single-storey building in technical area of airport manned by Indian Air Force
• 1.42 am: Another bomb explodes in an open area

Impact needed to trigger device, used in minefields

• A ‘pressure fuse’ is usually put to use in minefields and bombs dropped by the air force
• Such devices get activated on forceful impact or when run over by some vehicle or person
• That is the reason why they don’t explode in the air, but only on a forceful impact

The improvised explosive device (IED) that damaged the rooftop of one of the IAF buildings at the Jammu airport carried less than 1 kg of RDX and a cocktail of some chemicals, whereas the one that fell in the open contained a little over 1 kg of the deadly explosives along with some ball bearings, the sources said.

The IED used in the June 27 attack “definitely” used the technical expertise of the Pakistani military. The “pressure fuse” technique used is similar to the ones used by the Pakistani military, they added. According to explosive experts, a “pressure fuse” is usually put to use in minefields, anti-tank mines and those dropped by the air force in the fuselage between the explosive and main detonator of a shell or an IED.

The explosive devices are activated by the pressure of either falling on the ground with force or some individual or vehicle passing over these.

Most of the artillery shells and mortar bombs have this type of fuse. This is the reason why they don’t explode in the air, but only on impact, sources said.

Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Dilbag Singh had earlier said that Pakistan-based terrorists of Lashkar-e-Toiba were suspected to be behind the bombing of the IAF station in Jammu using drones, which might have come from across the border.

The NIA took over the investigation into what was the first instance of Pakistan-based terrorists deploying drones to strike vital installations in India on June 29.

Two IAF personnel were injured in the explosions that took place within six minutes of each other. (PTI inputs)

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