IAF chief says probe into Coonoor crash to be fair; VVIP codes to be revised

The court of inquiry into the Tamil Nadu chopper crash, according to IAF Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, will be a fair process. He said the tri-services investigative panel will look into “every single angle” to determine what caused the chopper crash that killed India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, his wife, and 12 other armed forces officials on December 8 in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu.

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Chaudhari told reporters on the sidelines of the Air Force Academy’s Combined Graduation Parade in Dundigal, Telangana, that the investigation will take “a few more weeks” and that he does not want to comment on any of the court of inquiry’s conclusions.

“I wouldn’t like to pre-empt any findings of the court of inquiry as it’s a thorough process. It’s a mandate to investigate every single angle & look into every single aspect of what could’ve gone wrong and come out with suitable recommendations and findings,” Air Cheif Marshal Chaudhari said.

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He also stated that the VVIP protocols would be amended and evaluated in light of the chopper disaster in Tamil Nadu. “The VVIP protocols for flying will be amended and examined following the Tamil Nadu chopper crash. Based on the findings of the investigation, all of these procedures will be evaluated. We are constantly assessing Pakistani and Chinese threats and are well aware of them,” he remarked.

A tri-services investigative team led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh has begun an investigation into the helicopter crash, according to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

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The standoff with China continues, according to the IAF Chief, but disengagement has occurred in some regions of Ladakh. “The Air Force will continue to maintain deployment. We are prepared to take on any challenge that we may face in that area,” he added.

The IAF head stated that France has delivered 32 of the 36 Rafale aircraft so far. He added that three of the remaining four will come in February, “Last aircraft which will have India-specific enhancements will be delivered after all its trials conclude. We discussed with the Defence Minister future maintenance issues of Rafale and setting up of D-level maintenance in India.”