IAF craft drops ‘bomb-like’ object near Pokhran field, probe ordered

A powerful explosion rocked the Ramdevra region of Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district on Wednesday after a “mysterious bomb-like object” fell from an Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft and created an eight-foot crater in an area near the Pokhran field firing range, officials and eyewitnesses said.

IAF confirmed that a fighter aircraft inadvertently dropped an “air store” near the vast air-to-ground firing range, attributing the development to a “technical malfunction”. In military aviation parlance, air store refers to bombs, missiles or drop tanks to carry more fuel for extended range missions.

The air force, which has ordered a probe into the incident, neither identified the type of air store that was accidentally released, nor the fighter jet involved.

“An inadvertent release of an air store from an IAF fighter aircraft took place near Pokhran firing range area, due to technical malfunction, today. An inquiry has been ordered to investigate the incident. No damage to life or property has been reported,” the air force said in a statement posted on X.

The air store that fell during the training mission was “inert” or incapable of detonating, Hindustan Times has learnt.

Read more: IAF fighter jet accidentally releases 'air store' near Pokhran; enquiry ordered

In footage circulated on social media, locals were seen recording videos of the site and the debris of the air store.

Khiv Singh, hailing from Rathoda village, said the incident took place around noon “when a fighter aircraft was flying at low level over the village”. The powerful explosion occurred around 1km from Singh’s village. Curious villagers rushed to the site after hearing the blast, he said, adding that they discovered a “mysterious object, resembling a bomb”, that had exploded and shattered into pieces, leaving a crater approximately eight feet deep.

Additional superintendent of police Gopal Singh Bhati said, “The local police responded to the incident and informed the army, BSF, and other security agencies. The incident occurred about 15 kilometres from the army firing range located in Pokhran. The police are investigating the matter.”

Another resident, Jyoti Sinha, said that villagers rushed to the spot after hearing the sound of the blast. “They found a pit that was five to eight feet deep and 15 feet wide,” she added.

IAF carries out live and inert (dummy) stores drop at firing ranges during training missions, said Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd), former director general, Centre for Air Power Studies.

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“The technical problem that led to the accidental release will be revealed after the inquiry is over. Such release occurs only after a sequence of electronic circuits get activated,” Chopra added.

The development came five months after the first-ever crash of the IAF’s Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA-Mk1) near Jaisalmer. The locally produced single-engine fighter crashed on March 12, minutes after taking part in a tri-services exercise that sought to demonstrate the strides India has made towards self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector. The pilot ejected safely.

An ongoing investigation into the crash is pointing towards engine seizure, caused by an oil pump malfunction, as the most likely cause of the accident.

Two years ago, the government sacked three IAF officers for lapses that led to the accidental firing of a BrahMos missile into Pakistan on March 9, 2022, after a court of inquiry held them responsible for deviating from standard operating procedures.

(With inputs from HTC, New Delhi)