New Delhi : Thirty crashes of Indian Air Force aircraft in the past three years have cost the nation Rs.1,161.50 crore, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said Tuesday.
The main reasons behind the crashes were “human error” and “technical defects”, he said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
The maximum number of crashes took place in 2011-12, when 13 aircraft were lost.
In 2012-13 and 2013-14, six aircraft crashed, and so far in 2014, five crashes have already taken place.
Of the aircraft that crashed, three were Su-30s, two Mirage 2000s, four Jaguars, three Mig-29s, one Mig-27, and eight Mig-21s.
One C-130J, one AN-32, one Hawk, two Kirans, two Mi-17s, and two ALHs were among the other aircraft that crashed.
“The loss to the government assessed so far is estimated at Rs.1,161.50 crore in terms of value of the crashed aircraft,” Parrikar said.
“Every IAF aircraft accident is thoroughly investigated by a court of inquiry to ascertain the cause of accident and the recommendations of the completed Court of Inquiry are implemented,” the defence minister said.
“The main reasons for these accidents were human error and technical defect,” he said.
Besides these crashes, two Mi-17 helicopters of IAF were destroyed during relief operations, one in 2011-12 and another in 2013-14.
“IAF aircraft accidents during such operations in aid of civil agencies are not included in the statistics maintained for aircraft accidents,” he said.