Global 5000 surveillance aircraft, NTRO spy satellites being used to trace IAF AN-32

With authorities making all-out efforts in search of IAF's AN-32 aircraft, government sources informed that air-force is using Global 5000 surveillance aircraft and NTRO spy satellites along with other assets to locate the missing aircraft.

Also, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is said to have pulled all stops and is getting regular updates on the ongoing search and rescue operations. He is said to have instructed the use of all possible resources to locate the missing aircraft and its occupants. The AN-32 aircraft went missing on June 3 in Arunachal Pradesh.

Global 5000 surveillance aircraft belongs to the fleet of jets with the Aviation Research Centre. "With their specialist sensors, they can help in getting better imagery on the ground," said government sources aware of the matter.

Also, the Indian Navy on Friday pressed its Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft P8I in the ongoing search operation. The aircraft P8I is airborne from INS Rajali, Arakonam, Tamil Nadu on Friday morning. It is equipped with special radars and sensors which will help locate the missing plane during the search operation, informed the Indian Navy.

The search operations for the plane entered the fifth day on Friday. Bad weather conditions on Wednesday had put a halt to the search operations by helicopters, however, two Sukhoi-30 MKI combat jets and one C 130J aircraft carried out night missions to locate the plane.

The AN-32 aircraft had taken off from Assam's Jorhat on June 3 and was headed for Mechuka Advance Landing Ground (ALG) in Arunachal Pradesh when it lost contact with ground authorities at around 1300 hours and went missing.

Indian Army on Thursday deployed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for search. The IAF had also said that Cheetah choppers have been deployed in the search operations.

On the other hand family members of Ashish Tanwar, the pilot of IAF AN 32 aircraft, met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at his residence here on Thursday.