August 18, 2026 05:50 am (IST)
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Missing IAF aircraft : All leads have turned out to be bad, says Defence Minister
New Delhi, July 26 (IBNS) : As the search for the missing IAF aircraft drew a blank even after five days, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday indicated the worst, saying all leads have turned out to be bad.
“A lot of resources are in place. All leads till now have turned out to be bad. We are trying to concentrate on some links or sound which has emitted from some area. Trying to find out, that needs to be ascertained but there were some false leads but false leads of similar type,” reports quoted him as saying.
Refuting the claim that the AN 32’s Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) had failed in what is believed to have happened with a Coast Guard Dronier aircraft that crashed last year with three men aboard, the Minister said, "I think the submarine finally located the Dornier with the same beeps."
"Initially sound might not have come due to depth of water but when the submarine went in there, they identified the location. Can’t say whether it is operating or not now but we have not been able to hear it,” he said.
The Russian-made aircraft took off at 8.30am from Tambaram in Chennai and disappeared over the Bay of Bengal on its way to Port Blair with 29 people on board.
An intensive search engaging aircraft and ships have so far failed to locate the missing aircraft or establish the reason for its sudden disappearance.
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