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| Afghanistan/South Asia | |
| Indian airforce loses second Mirage-2000 in a month | |
| 2004-10-13 | |
| A French-built Mirage-2000 military jet of the Indian Air Force crashed on Tuesday after its pilot failed to control the aircraft during midair technical snags before ejecting safely, a military spokesman in New Delhi said. The aircraft took off from the central Indian city of Gwalior at 11:30 am (0600 GMT) but within minutes developed unspecified snags, airforce spokesman Squadron Leadar Mahesh Upasani said. "The pilot decided to return to base but as force-landing was not possible, he ejected," Upasani said, adding the aircraft crashed some four kilometres (2.5 miles) short of the airfield in Gwalior and exploded in flames. There were no casualties, he said, adding that the pilot had landed safely. Tuesday's crash is the second involving a Mirage-2000 in India in less than a month. On September 23 the Gwalior airbase lost a Mirage-2000 when the multi-role jet crashed into a sparsely populated region near the city. The aircraft lost its nosewheel in midflight and the pilot ejected safely. The Indian Air Force has been plagued by crashes of its ageing fleet, although accidents of Mirages have been rare. Four British-designed Jaguars of the Indian Air Force crashed in quick succession earlier this year, killing three pilots including one whose parachute failed to open.ÂÂ
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| Posted by:Steve White |
| #6 Some people seem to forget that the Mirage III was the backbone of the Israeli Force during the Six Days war and a significant part during the Kipour were the IAF got a kill ratio from over 20 to 1 in Air to air combat. For Super Etendard being maintenance intensive, I would recall you that this varies with age and how they were maintained before that. And that all nations have had their share of hangar queens: anyone remembering the trouble with the B1? |
| Posted by: JFM 2004-10-13 4:55:10 PM |
| #5 Everyone is missing the obvious: "Fully cloaked" Pakistani warbirds using stolen Romulan technology... |
| Posted by: borgboy 2004-10-13 2:13:43 PM |
| #4 French aircraft have always been maintenance intensive. In a previous life, I talked with a retired two star from the Hellenic AF. He had had four squadrons of A-7s and one of Super Etendards under his command and said that the squadron of Super Etendards cost more to maintain than all the rest combined. He hated the French bloodsuckers. |
| Posted by: RWV 2004-10-13 2:04:04 PM |
| #3 First the MIG's, now Jags and Mirages. So, your nose wheel falling off is a mid-air technical snag? |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2004-10-13 1:33:34 PM |
| #2 Sounds like maintence issues to me. Any AF Maint guys want to comment? |
| Posted by: N guard 2004-10-13 7:30:57 AM |
| #1 French jet. Enough said. |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-10-13 12:24:46 AM |