The Indian Air Force (IAF) claimed on Wednesday that a technical issue with one of its fighter planes caused a “air store” to be unintentionally released close to the Pokhran firing range. In a social media post on X, the IAF verified the occurrence and reassured the public that no reports of property or life damage had been made.
The incident happened when the air store—which often refers to ammunition, bombs, or other military equipment carried by aircraft—was inadvertently deployed during a normal operation. The specific type of air storage that caused the issue has not been made public.
The IAF added that an inquiry has been ordered to look into what caused the technical malfunction.
The Indian Air Force wrote on X: “Today, a technical error resulted in the unintentional discharge of an air store from an Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft near the Pokhran firing range region. An investigation into the incident has been ordered by the IAF. There have been no reports of property or life damage.
The Indian armed forces use the Pokhran firing range, which is situated in Rajasthan’s Thar Desert, as a major location for training and testing. Unintentional BrahMos missile launch in 2022 The incident has similarities to a more significant occurrence that happened in March 2022 when an unintentional BrahMos missile was fired into Pakistan from India. The unarmed missile crashed at Mian Channu in Punjab, Pakistan’s Khanewal District. Locals were initially confused and alarmed by the unarmed missile because it left a crater and damaged a few buildings. Indian authorities swiftly declared the event, which might have resulted in serious diplomatic repercussions or perhaps a military conflict, to be an accident and attributed it to a “technical malfunction” during routine maintenance.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) informed the Delhi High Court that it resulted in a loss of ₹25 crore for the government coffers. The IAF was defending the dismissal of three IAF (Indian Air Force) commanders for egregious negligence.