An Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft made an unintended release of an "air store" near the Pokhran firing range on Wednesday due to a technical malfunction. The IAF said it has ordered an inquiry into the incident. It, however, did not reveal the exact nature of the "air store".
The incident occurred during a routine IAF operation in an isolated area and there was no damage to life or property, authorities said.
Pokhran firing range is located in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district. Located in the Thar Desert, the isolated area used by the IAF to test weapons and execute firing exercises.
An inadvertent release of an air store from an Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft took place near Pokhran firing range area, due to technical malfunction, today. An enquiry by the IAF has been ordered to investigate into the incident. No damage to life or property has been…
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) August 21, 2024
"An inadvertent release of an air store from an Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft took place near Pokhran firing range area, due to technical malfunction, today," the Indian Air Force (IAF) posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Ramdevra police station's Sub-Inspector Shankar Lal told the press that villages reported the presence of a shattered object lying on the ground about a kilometre away from their residences. They were alarmed by a "loud bang" some distance away from their homes and found the damaged "air store" after launching a search.
Usually, "air stores" are munitions, bombs, or other military equipment carried by aircraft. They are attached to an aircraft in such a way that they can be released or jettisoned during flight.
Earlier in April, Pokhran firing range hosted 'Gagan Shakti', the biggest exercise in the history of IAF.
Last year an IAF jet was forced to jettison external stores in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur due to a technical malfunction, reports said.
