New Delhi, June 4: The search operation for the Indian Air Force’s missing AN-32 aircraft has been expanded Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) satellites and Navy’s surveillance aircraft have also joined the massive search efforts to look for the aircraft that lost contact with ground staff more than 24 hours ago. On Monday, AN-32 aircraft took off from Assam's Jorhat airbase at 12:25 pm. IAF Missing AN-32 Aircraft That Took Off From Assam With 13 People on Board Still Untraceable, No Wreckage Sighted So Far.

After the aircraft, which was carrying 13 people on board, took off from airbase at 12:27 pm to the Menchuka advance landing ground in Arunachal Pradesh's Shi-Yomi district it lost contact with ground control at 1 pm. The Air Force is coordinating with Army as well as other agencies to locate the missing aircraft. The aircraft lost contact as it neared hilly terrain region in Northeast.

The Air Force and Army choppers have been continuously searching for the aircraft, they are looking for signals such as fire and smoke that could indicate a crash. On the ground, soldiers have been scouring thick jungles looking for clues.  IAF AN-32 Aircraft Carrying 13 Persons On Board Reported Missing in Arunachal Pradesh After Taking Off From Jorhat Airbase.

Today afternoon, Navy sent P8i naval maritime aircraft, also known as submarine hunter, to look for transport aircraft. The ISRO satellites such as Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT) has also been roped for help. “P-8 I of #IndianNavy, satellites like RISAT and aircraft equipped with multiple sensors have joined the concerted efforts to locate the missing aircraft,” the IAF spokesperson tweeted.

The An-32 was equipped with a single Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) called the SARBE 8. The SARBE 8 sends a distress signal if the aircraft is impacted with a 20G force (twenty times the force of gravity) or more. “But the distress signals travel in the line of site, so if there is an obstruction like a hill feature, it won’t be picked up, “ said defence ministry official. “Till now we haven’t picked up the signal,” the official said.

The disappearance of aircraft on June 3 brought back poignant memories of another plane that went missing over the Bay of Bengal in 2016. The Russian-origin plane went missing in June, three years ago. The Transport fleet was carrying 29 people onboard.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 04, 2019 07:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).