NEW DELHI: The accidental shooting down of the Mi17 V5 chopper in February as tensions mounted on the border was a ‘big mistake’ and corrective measures have been put in to ensure that no such incident is repeated, the Air Force Chief said. The friendly fire incident – a Spyder air defense system shot down the chopper close to the srinagar airfield on February 27 after it was mistaken for a Pakistani Unmanned Aerial Vehicle – has been probed with the court of inquiry finding lapses in procedure.
Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said the formal inquiry into the accident was completed last week and disciplinary action would be taken against two officers. ET was the first to report on the accidental shooting down in which seven people died. “The court of inquiry has been completed last week. Chief accepted that It was our mistake. Our missile hit the chopper. This has been established…we admit that this was a big mistake and necessary steps have been taken so that these things are not repeated,” the Air Chief said.
He said the person who perished in the accident will be declared ‘battle casualties’, a classification that enables their families to get enhanced financial support. According to the Air Chief, administrative action has already been taken. “Disciplinary action will also be taken against two officers,” he said. As reported by ET, the role of a senior officer who ordered a ground-based missile to be fired has come under question. One of the officers who will face action is the Terminal Weapons Director (TWD) of the airbase who cleared the launch of the missile.
The second in command of the srinagar base - the Chief Operations Officer (COO) – has been found blameworthy. The Air Traffic Control (ATC) in-charge too has been found guilty for failing to warn that the helicopter was a friendly aircraft. Proceedings into the incident could take several months as formal charges have to bring against the erring officers, following which court-martial proceedings will commence.
