News Analysis India

Tag: Airlift

  • Indian Air Force presses 50 transport aircraft and 20 helicopters in COVID pandemic duty

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has ordered round-the-clock readiness of the entire heavy-lift fleet and substantial numbers of medium-lift fleets to operate in a hub and spoke model.

    In support of the national effort to combat COVID-19 second wave, the IAF fleet is operating from a hub with sorties within India and abroad

    IAF in a statement on Friday said, “Presently 8x C-17, 4 x IL 76, 8 x C130, 20 x An-32, 1 x DO – 228 Dornier aircraft and 20 Helicopters have been tasked for COVID Tasks.”

    While the force has augmented Aircrew for all fleets to ensure round-the-clock operations, IAF has taken stringent measures to preserve its combat potential in the face of COVID 19.

    Special care has also been taken to prevent an outbreak amongst the operational crew and all personnel involved in COVID tasks, including segregation and stringent precautions.

    “98% of all air warriors have been vaccinated with the first dose and 85 % percent with the second dose. Sustained efforts to ensure 100% vaccination at the earliest are ongoing,” informed IAF.

    While the force, with its measures, has restricted active cases to 1% of the IAF population, strong measures to enhance capacities in hospitals and medicare centres have also been taken. With proper planning and precaution, the efforts of the air force personnel have succeeded in executing major mobilisation.

    As per the force, “As of 30 Apr 21, IAF has used their heavy-lift assets to airlift 39 cryogenic oxygen containers from Singapore, Thailand, and Dubai, and has already rapidly positioned 126 oxygen tankers at key locations within the country.”

    Oxygen containers were the primary load ferried on Friday with heavy-lift transport aircraft making both domestic and international sorties. C-17s airlifted four cryogenic oxygen containers from Singapore to Panagarh Airbase. The airlift of four more cryogenic oxygen containers from Singapore is in progress.

    Mobilising the C-17s, two cryogenic oxygen containers were airlifted from Chandigarh to Bhubaneswar, one from Baroda to Ranchi, two from Gwalior to Raipur, two from Mumbai to Bhubaneswar. 

    The airlift of two cryogenic oxygen containers from Agra to Ranchi, two containers from Indore to Surat, two containers from Chandigarh to Ranchi, six containers from Hindan to Ranchi is in progress. 

    In addition, IAF IL-76 has also airlifted three oxygen plant equipment from Delhi to Dimapur and an Army load of 11.5T with 90 medicos from Dimapur to Bakshi ka Talab for setting up of Covid Hospital at Lucknow.

    These efforts are ongoing and all requirements being projected are being met on a war footing, said the Air Force.

  • Concerns Arise About Preparations of Pitch for India’s MCG Test

    The surge in coronavirus positive cases in Adelaide and South Australia has left quite a few involved in the organisation of the India-Australia series in a spot of bother. Not only has the situation caused changes in personnel, emergency airlifts but also led to concerns around the pitch for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

    MCC chief executive Stuart Fox is concerned that they might not get to trial the pitches before the Test.

    As is the tradition in Australian cricket, the MCG is set to host the Boxing Day Test but could also be awarded the opening Test against India depending on the situation in Adelaide.

    Cricket Australia is confident Adelaide will retain the day-night clash but it remains unclear what restrictions and protocols will be in place once the South Australian government lifts a six-day lockdown next week.

    It was the coronavirus spike that led to the Sheffield Shield games being moved from the MCG and the same problem albeit in a different city has resulted in trial matches for the drop-in pitches to be cancelled. The MCC however does hope that a trial game can still be squeezed in before the Tests get underway, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.

    “It is a concern for me because I would like to give them every opportunity to trial the pitches but we [were to have had] a Test event the other day and Cricket Victoria were supporting us, we were meant to have players and a two-day game and we had the pitch ready to go but the game got cancelled the night before and that was really, ultimately, the result of the situation in South Australia,” Fox explained on RSN radio.

    “I think it demonstrates how vulnerable we still are day by day. Ideally, we would love to have a game and we are still working on that but, ultimately, it may not happen.

    “Matt is in a good spot. He produced a really good pitch last year that got a really good rating and he knows his trade. He is year three in and he is starting to deeply understand our pitches compared to where he was.”

    While Matt Page, the curator looks for ways to get past this hurdle, Australia’s Pat Cummins has said that the bowlers would like quick and bouncy pitches to unsettle the Indian batting, which will be without Virat Kohli after the first Test.Read Full Article