3 Aircraft leave from Hindon airbase carrying humanitarian aid
Staff Reporter / NEW DELHI
The Government has pressed IAF Aircraft to bring back Indian citizens stranded in war hit Ukraine.One each IAF aircraft today left for Romania, Hungary, and Poland from the Hindon airbase.
The first one to leave was Indian Air Force’s C 17 transport aircraft, which flew for Romania, early this morning at 4 AM. All the aircraft carry tents, blankets, and other humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
In order to speed up the ongoing evacuation efforts under ‘Operation Ganga’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked the Indian Air Force (IAF) to join the evacuation efforts.
The C-17 has been an important part of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) strategic and combat airlift capability and have performed a varied range of operations in military missions, and provided peacekeeping support, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief in India and internationally, since induction to the Sky Lords squadron in 2013. The Aircraft has a seating capacity of 158.
The Indian Air Force had deployed its C-17 Globemasters aircraft for evacuation operations of Indians stuck in Afghanistan when the country fell into the hands of Taliban.
The first C-17 Globemaster was inducted in 2013. Presently the IAF has a fleet of 11 C-17 Globemaster IIIs. With 11 in its fleet, outside the US, India became the biggest operator of these aircraft in the world.
Meanwhile, Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sandeep Singh today briefed the media about the role of IAF in Operation Ganga to evacuate Indians from Ukraine.
He said evacuation operations will run round the clock. IAF can send four aircraft in a day and two hundred people will be brought back in one round, he added. The IAF Vice Chief expressed confidence that all Indians will be brought back safely.