The Indian defence authorities are engaged in search operations for the Indian Air Force's (IAF) Antonov An-32 aircraft, which went missing over the Bay of Bengal on Friday.
The aircraft with 29 people on board lost contact with ground control 15 minutes after it took off from the Tambaram air base near Chennai. It was bound for Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The IAF, Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) have deployed 17 aircraft in total to search for the missing military transport aircraft.
The IN and ICG have also deployed 16 ships to support the search operation amid challenging climatic conditions.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will use a radar imaging satellite (RISAT) with active microwave remote sensing to locate the missing aircraft.
ISRO chairman AS Kiran Kumar was quoted by IANS as saying: "We will be using RISAT to locate the missing aircraft.
"The satellite can take pictures both during the day and night.
"It can see through the clouds”
The search operation has entered the fourth day, but found no sign of the missing IAF aircraft.
The aircraft, which recently reported technical issues, has a history of accidents, The Times of India reported.
The IAF currently operates more than 100 Antonov-32 aircraft, which can fly in all weather conditions for up to four hours without refuelling.
Image: The IAF's Antonov An-32 at Leh Airbase. Photo: courtesy of Rohan.
