Just 7 minutes after launch, unarmed brahmos The missile had landed within 124 km of Pakistan. Following engine not runningThe Defense Ministry had described the incident as “deeply regrettable”, while Pakistan lodged a strong protest.
A Court of Inquiry into the misfire found that three IAF officers had deviated from the standard operating procedure which led to the incident.
The officers who have been dismissed from service include a Group Captain, a Wing Commander and a Squadron Leader. The IAF said that the dismissal orders were given to the officers on Tuesday.
“A BrahMos missile was accidentally fired on March 9. A Court of Inquiry set up to establish the facts of the case, including fixing responsibility for the incident, found that deviation from standard operating procedures by three officers resulted in the accidental firing. missile,” an official statement said.
“These three officers have been primarily held responsible for the incident. Their services have been terminated with immediate effect,” the statement said.
Although the missile crashed near the city of Mian Chunnu in Pakistan, the incident reinforced the urgent need for both countries to put in place strong nuclear confidence-building and risk-reduction measures, as the missiles have very short flight-times. .
Initially, the Defense Ministry had stated that the misfire occurred due to a technical fault during routine maintenance of the missile.
On 15 March, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament that SOPs for operation, maintenance and inspection of such systems were being reviewed.
(with inputs from agencies)watch Three IAF officers sacked for accidentally firing BrahMos in Pakistan