India has grounded its entire fleet of mainstay Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter fleet temporarily after a recent non fatal crash while landing.
The grounding will be lifted only after identifying the cause and carrying out extensive checks on the fleet. IAF will carry out the safety checks with special focus on ejection seats after pilots involved in the October 14 crash reported automatic seat ejection.
IAF in a statement said both the ejection seats had fired whilst the aircraft was descenting for a touch down at the Lohegaon airbase in Pune, crashing about 20 Kms short of the runway.
Failures has been haunting IAF Su-30MKI fleet, after mid-air engine failures and fly by wire (FBW) failures have affected availability of the fleet.
With the IAF operating close to 200 twin-engine Su-30s, the grounded planes represent almost a third of the country’s fighter fleet.
Five Su-30 fighters have crashed during the last five years, setting off alarm bells in the IAF. The Su-30 fleet has been grounded at least twice in the past.
