IAF Sukhoi jet goes missing in Assam

An Indian Air Force Su-30 fighter plane is missing after it lost radio contact 60km north of Tezpur in Assam.

The Russia-made fighter jet, with two pilots on board, took off from Salonibari in Assam at 10.30am on Tuesday.

IAF, army have called off the search for the missing jet. The search was called off due to weather-induced poor light.

The search, a defence spokesperson said, will resume on Wednesday.

The IAF’s Sukhoi-30 fleet has been plagued by engine troubles and poor serviceability.

The Air Force, after carrying out a search on its network, informed Sonitpur district deputy commissioner Manoj Kumar Deka about the missing jet.

The DC said he then immediately alerted the neighbouring district administrations about the missing plane.

The Sukhoi Su-30 is a Russianmade, twin-engine fighter meant for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.

The first of these planes were inducted by the IAF in the late 1990s. Since then, seven crashes have occurred with the last one on March 15 when a jet crashed in Rajasthan’s Barmer district.

An inquiry into these crashes has primarily indicated technical failure as their cause.

In March, India signed a pact with Russia for long-term supply of spares and support.