BrahMos accidental firing and landing into Pakistan: IAF tells Delhi High Court incident damaged its reputation

NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) in its reply to the Delhi High Court has disclosed for the first time that the accidental firing of BrahMos supersonic missile that landed in Pakistan in March 2022 has not only caused a loss of 25 crore rupees to the state kitty but also damaged its reputation.

The combat connectors ‘staying connected to the junction box,’ led to the misfire, the IAF informed the court on Friday, according to The Economic Times.

Islamabad had lodged its protest with New Delhi the next day.

“The combat crew, (despite) knowing that the combat connectors of combat missiles are connected to the junction box, failed to intervene to prevent the Mobile Autonomous Launcher commander from committing an unsafe act of launching the Combat Missile, resulting in a launch into the neighbouring nation, thereby causing a potential threat to any airborne/ground object/personnel,” the IAF noted in its reply. The IAF also described the incident as one which had the ‘effect of affecting the relations’ between India and Pakistan.

The Court of Inquiry (CoI), set by the IAF days after the misfire, had examined as many as 16 witnesses, and found Group Captain Saurabh Gupta, Squadron Leader Pranjal Singh, and Wing Commander Abhinav Sharma – all members of the Combat Team – responsible for ‘various acts of omission and commission leading to the firing of the missile.’

It was in response to Wing Commander Sharma›s petition that the IAF submitted its reply to the high court.

Responding to the Wing Commander ascribing blame to Air Commodore JT Kurien, it termed his allegations ‘conjectures, surmises, baseless, and without any substantiating evidence.’

The IAF also dismissed Sharma›s contention that he was ‘in no position to avert the firing of the missile.’