IAF airlifts record 463 tonnes of load in 6 hours

The Indian Air Force on Tuesday set a new record as its planes airlifted 463 tonnes of the load from its airbase in Chandigarh to the airfields and remote drop zones at Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir in just six hours.

The Western Air Command of the IAF deployed a fleet of 16 fixed-wing transport aircraft in the effort to evaluate its own “Rapid Airlift Capability” and to enhance crew currency in the role. The aircraft, which were deployed, included the C-17 Globemaster, Ilyushin-76 Gajraj and Antonov-32. “All aircraft were loaded and took off from Chandigarh airbase early in the morning. The entire wave was accomplished in little less than six hours.,” the IAF said in a statement.

“(The) airlift of approximately 500 tonnes, in the achieved time frame, in a single wave, happens to be a record which enhances the assessment of the (Western Air) Commands’ capability towards rapid and heavy airlift,” stated the IAF.

The Western Air Command of the IAF is entrusted with the air maintenance of the entire northern region of the country. It airlifts close to 3000 tonnes of load per month under normal operating circumstances.

“Rapid air mobility is a key component of modern warfare. This assumes greater significance in short and intense wars. This is very true in India’s context, especially when related to air mobility to airfields in the Ladakh region,” Air Marshal N J S Dhillon, Senior Air Staff Officer of Western Air Command, said.

Dhillon, who oversaw the airlift on Tuesday, said with a wide spectrum of military transport aircraft in its inventory the IAF now has a credible airlift capability which has provided succour on numerous occasions when the nation was struck with natural calamities.