IAF AN-32 Missing with crew of 29 in Bay of Bengal

[Nilgiri]

I don't think we have a robust network of satellites up yet for that.

IRNSS is still too raw to actually achieve that. US Navy uses a sort of tracking tech you speak of.

But yes, the nation has paid a heavy price for not having this. We lost 29 precious jawans.

Unless they somehow managed to use an emergency raft or something and are out there somewhere.

That will be really good news; history has had many instances like this where soldiers lost at the seas have been found within a few days.

We can at least save them.

Don't need a robust "network" of satellites....just one dedicated geo comsbird's transponder or two over IOR (and maybe even current GSAT-7 can handle it). The bitrate requirements will be quite puny since its just a few numbers being transmitted from source and then re-transmitted to a ground station.

 

[PARIKRAMA]

Point 6 is very important

 

[GuardianRED]

Guessing by the end of this week - surface assets will call off the search

Next step is locate and recovery like the dornier

 

[ApparentRaceTraitor]

I suspect foreign rebel in area shot down the aircraft india lacks in checking foreign intrution in their area

The plane went down in the ocean.....unless Aquaman/Poseidon got hold of some SAM systems....

 

[Tshering22]

Don't need a robust "network" of satellites....just one dedicated geo comsbird's transponder or two over IOR (and maybe even current GSAT-7 can handle it). The bitrate requirements will be quite puny since its just a few numbers being transmitted from source and then re-transmitted to a ground station.

Thanks for the clarification, buddy.

Learnt something new today. I had kinda seen something like this in a documentary on TV.

Point 6 is very important

This is a sad day then..

We have lost 29 good men.

 

[PARIKRAMA]

An update after a long time of no press releases

India scales down search for missing military aircraft IAF AN-32
By Manu Pubby, ET Bureau | Aug 13, 2016, 03.14 AM IST
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NEW DELHI: India has scaled down its largest ever maritime search as chances diminish of finding a missing military aircraft in the Bay of Bengal. The AN32 transport plane with 29 persons onboard disappeared from radar off the Chennai coast on July 22.

As many as 19 Indian warships, a Russian rescue ship, submarines, an imaging satellite and special operations spy planes had been engaged in the search at its most intense. Five vessels are currently scanning the seabed off Chennai and several aircraft are engaged in a wider surface search for debris.

Searchers fear that the 27 tonne plane may have sunk to the sea bed, making any recovery almost impossible. The AN32 transporter had veered to the left before plunging and disappearing. Officials involved in the search told ET that the mission had not been called, off only scaled down.

The five ships, including two civilian deep-sea search vessels, are concentrating on the area where the radar recorded the plane's steep drop. "Several aircraft remain on the operation and we have expanded the surface search area.

As of now, no trace of sign of the missing AN32 has been recorded," a senior official with knowledge of the search mission told ET. However, the absence of any underwater beacon on the missing aircraft - which was upgraded last year at an Indian facility - makes the search akin to finding a needle in a haystack, searchers said. Also, the depth of the ocean where the fall was recorded is in excess of 3,000 metres, making search and salvage highly challenging.

The deepest salvage operation car-ried out in India took place last year when a specialized ship hired by Reliance Industries lifted out debris from a crashed Coast Guard Dornier aircraft from over 950 meters in the same area.

As reported by ET, there are striking similarities in the manner in which the Dornier and AN32 aircraft disappeared off Chennai on routine missions. What has frustrated search teams is the total absence of any clues to the fate of the aircraft - no floating debris has been located.

The absence of any beacon on the AN32 that can transmit from underwater has meant that assets have been deployed for the search mission along the presumed path taken by the missing plane. The air force, which flies routine missions from Chennai to Port Blair--the leg on which the AN 32 went missing--has now modified its rules for planes flying over the sea.

After the incident, AN 32s flying on the route have been equipped with a new emergency beacon that can transmit from underwater, as is standard for aircraft operating on maritime missions.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...t-iaf-an-32/articleshow/53678964.cms?from=mdr

 

[GuardianRED]

An update after a long time of no press releases

India scales down search for missing military aircraft IAF AN-32
By Manu Pubby, ET Bureau | Aug 13, 2016, 03.14 AM IST
Post a Comment
NEW DELHI: India has scaled down its largest ever maritime search as chances diminish of finding a missing military aircraft in the Bay of Bengal. The AN32 transport plane with 29 persons onboard disappeared from radar off the Chennai coast on July 22.

As many as 19 Indian warships, a Russian rescue ship, submarines, an imaging satellite and special operations spy planes had been engaged in the search at its most intense. Five vessels are currently scanning the seabed off Chennai and several aircraft are engaged in a wider surface search for debris.

Searchers fear that the 27 tonne plane may have sunk to the sea bed, making any recovery almost impossible. The AN32 transporter had veered to the left before plunging and disappearing. Officials involved in the search told ET that the mission had not been called, off only scaled down.

The five ships, including two civilian deep-sea search vessels, are concentrating on the area where the radar recorded the plane's steep drop. "Several aircraft remain on the operation and we have expanded the surface search area.

As of now, no trace of sign of the missing AN32 has been recorded," a senior official with knowledge of the search mission told ET. However, the absence of any underwater beacon on the missing aircraft - which was upgraded last year at an Indian facility - makes the search akin to finding a needle in a haystack, searchers said. Also, the depth of the ocean where the fall was recorded is in excess of 3,000 metres, making search and salvage highly challenging.

The deepest salvage operation car-ried out in India took place last year when a specialized ship hired by Reliance Industries lifted out debris from a crashed Coast Guard Dornier aircraft from over 950 meters in the same area.

As reported by ET, there are striking similarities in the manner in which the Dornier and AN32 aircraft disappeared off Chennai on routine missions. What has frustrated search teams is the total absence of any clues to the fate of the aircraft - no floating debris has been located.

The absence of any beacon on the AN32 that can transmit from underwater has meant that assets have been deployed for the search mission along the presumed path taken by the missing plane. The air force, which flies routine missions from Chennai to Port Blair--the leg on which the AN 32 went missing--has now modified its rules for planes flying over the sea.

After the incident, AN 32s flying on the route have been equipped with a new emergency beacon that can transmit from underwater, as is standard for aircraft operating on maritime missions.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...t-iaf-an-32/articleshow/53678964.cms?from=mdr

So the search area has be reduced, But the Depth is very high. That is not good . Any news if any DSRV is being brought in here?

 

[PARIKRAMA]

So the search area has be reduced, But the Depth is very high. That is not good . Any news if any DSRV is being brought in here?

sorry i did not reply yesterday

There is a report that came out today on this

Six days search did not help find debris of AN-32


Deep-sea search by ocean research vessel Sagar Nidhi for the remains of Indian Air Force aircraft AN 32 in Bay of Bengal for the last six days did not yielded any results till Saturday evening.

The vessel belonging to Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) had been scanning the seabed with its advanced device since August 8. The vessel will take a break from search, as it will arrive at Chennai port for refuelling for three days, before the search resumes mid-next week.

AN 32 transport aircraft went missing with 29 passengers onboard on July 22, about 15 minutes after it took off from Tambaram Air Force base to Port Blair. "We have received some signals, but it is not clear. Further survey is required," said Satheesh C Shenoi, director, NIOT.

Sagar Nidhi, which returned from Mauritius, was directly diverted and arrived at the search location about 169 miles off Chennai coast on early Monday morning.

The vessel had since then been scanning the seafloor with its multi-beam echo sounder and sub-bottom profiler through acoustic waves. The vessel has to survey a total area of 220 nautical miles at a depth of about 3500metres.

Shenoi said the vessel will return to Chennai port for three days for fueling and loading of provisions for the search team, as it was directly sent to the search location upon return from Mauritius. The vessel spent almost eight months on research activity off the coast of Mauritius.

The ship has a multi-beam echo sounder device that determines the depth of seabed and detects objects in water through acoustic waves up to a depth of 6000 meters. However, the resolution of the scanned images of the seafloor will reduce as the depth increases. Rough sea conditions and lack of information on the exact location of the debris may also make search activity difficult.

Deep sea search was earlier delayed by a week, as rough ocean due to bad weather delayed arrival of the vessel from Mauritius. For two weeks after the aircraft went missing, Indian Navy, Air Force and Indian Coast Guard were jointly conducting search on the surface of Bay of Bengal looking for the aircraft debris.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...find-debris-of-AN-32/articleshow/53691860.cms

 

[Nilgiri]

sorry i did not reply yesterday

There is a report that came out today on this

Six days search did not help find debris of AN-32


Deep-sea search by ocean research vessel Sagar Nidhi for the remains of Indian Air Force aircraft AN 32 in Bay of Bengal for the last six days did not yielded any results till Saturday evening.

The vessel belonging to Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) had been scanning the seabed with its advanced device since August 8. The vessel will take a break from search, as it will arrive at Chennai port for refuelling for three days, before the search resumes mid-next week.

AN 32 transport aircraft went missing with 29 passengers onboard on July 22, about 15 minutes after it took off from Tambaram Air Force base to Port Blair. "We have received some signals, but it is not clear. Further survey is required," said Satheesh C Shenoi, director, NIOT.

Sagar Nidhi, which returned from Mauritius, was directly diverted and arrived at the search location about 169 miles off Chennai coast on early Monday morning.

The vessel had since then been scanning the seafloor with its multi-beam echo sounder and sub-bottom profiler through acoustic waves. The vessel has to survey a total area of 220 nautical miles at a depth of about 3500metres.

Shenoi said the vessel will return to Chennai port for three days for fueling and loading of provisions for the search team, as it was directly sent to the search location upon return from Mauritius. The vessel spent almost eight months on research activity off the coast of Mauritius.

The ship has a multi-beam echo sounder device that determines the depth of seabed and detects objects in water through acoustic waves up to a depth of 6000 meters. However, the resolution of the scanned images of the seafloor will reduce as the depth increases. Rough sea conditions and lack of information on the exact location of the debris may also make search activity difficult.

Deep sea search was earlier delayed by a week, as rough ocean due to bad weather delayed arrival of the vessel from Mauritius. For two weeks after the aircraft went missing, Indian Navy, Air Force and Indian Coast Guard were jointly conducting search on the surface of Bay of Bengal looking for the aircraft debris.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...find-debris-of-AN-32/articleshow/53691860.cms

The currents may have swept the debris into an even wider area by now unfortunately.

These are just the prevailing winds and surface currents, I am unsure if there is any data regarding deeper sea currents in the area:

https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=92.04,-2.23,430

 

[PARIKRAMA]

Navy has finally given an update on SAR OPs

+++
In another news

Meanwhile, as Geological Survey of India ship Samudra Ratnakar found some leads at a depth of around 3,000 meters, officials said it was not clear if it was the debris of the aircraft.

"The ship has tracked some echoes from the seabed but it will be a long process to verify if there is any debris belonging to the AN-32," IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Anupam Banerjee told IANS.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ETTWMain

++

@Abingdonboy @ni8mare @anant_s @hellfire @Nilgiri

 

[Hellfire]

@PARIKRAMA An excellent news for an otherwise dismal day !!!! , at least a closure can be there for the families.

 

[PARIKRAMA]

@PARIKRAMA An excellent news for an otherwise dismal day !!!! , at least a closure can be there for the families.

Dont have high hopes yet.. Unless its proven scientifically..

In such depths, it can be anything .. 2 days Hindu said the following

“We got a report that at 14 places, linear pieces were found. We are not sure if the parts are from the aircraft. These could be rocks, plate movement, or volcanic activity, as these are at a depth of over 3,000 metres,” S. Raju, Deputy Director General, Geological Survey of India, told The Hindu. Scientists on board Samudra Ratnakar have sought a re-survey of the region to ascertain confirm if the objects are from the aircraft.

Reflections of objects or anything underwater will be seen on screens on board the research vessel, but at depths of over three km it makes the task of identifying the objects difficult. Wind speeds of 20-25 nautical miles make the task more difficult, Dr. Raju said.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/linear-pieces-found-under-water/article9012450.ece
+++

I wish its the aircraft but absence of even one small piece or part washing ashore makes me really circumspect.

On top, i may sound harsh and inhuman, but in probability even if we find the craft, it will be empty coffins returned to the family.. Whatever is edible, the giant underwater ecosystem predators would have already finished the remains. At best we may find somethings which belong to individuals .. even that is difficult..

My heart goes out to the family.. Eventually other than mental conditioning, its extremely difficult to get a closure due to no chance of paying last respects and praying for their souls to depart to the heavens.

 

[Imran Khan]

why indian occian these days Swallowing plane damn

 

[Aero]

Dont have high hopes yet.. Unless its proven scientifically..

In such depths, it can be anything .. 2 days Hindu said the following

“We got a report that at 14 places, linear pieces were found. We are not sure if the parts are from the aircraft. These could be rocks, plate movement, or volcanic activity, as these are at a depth of over 3,000 metres,” S. Raju, Deputy Director General, Geological Survey of India, told The Hindu. Scientists on board Samudra Ratnakar have sought a re-survey of the region to ascertain confirm if the objects are from the aircraft.

Reflections of objects or anything underwater will be seen on screens on board the research vessel, but at depths of over three km it makes the task of identifying the objects difficult. Wind speeds of 20-25 nautical miles make the task more difficult, Dr. Raju said.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/linear-pieces-found-under-water/article9012450.ece
+++

I wish its the aircraft but absence of even one small piece or part washing ashore makes me really circumspect.

On top, i may sound harsh and inhuman, but in probability even if we find the craft, it will be empty coffins returned to the family.. Whatever is edible, the giant underwater ecosystem predators would have already finished the remains. At best we may find somethings which belong to individuals .. even that is difficult..

My heart goes out to the family.. Eventually other than mental conditioning, its extremely difficult to get a closure due to no chance of paying last respects and praying for their souls to depart to the heavens.

However if we are able to retrieve some parts of plane we may understand actually what happened to the aircraft.
Hope it is parts of aircraft.

Off Topic>> Do SOSUS systems detect once aircraft gets into water? (For as long some sound is there)

 

[PARIKRAMA]

However if we are able to retrieve some parts of plane we may understand actually what happened to the aircraft.
Hope it is parts of aircraft.

Off Topic>> Do SOSUS systems detect once aircraft gets into water? (For as long some sound is there)

The hydrophones in SOSUS normally are attuned for frequency range of less than 100Hz. Consequently this implies low and very low frequency band stream filtering out all other sources of noise like commercial ships, oil rigs, commercial ship sonars.

The sensitivity is high and it is said an overhead flying 4 engine plane creating sound ripples hitting the surface and creating vibration is also picked by SOSUS.

Unfortunately what I read was there are limited operational SOSUS arrays in IOR as India has not deployed an SOSUS network. The one existing are near to the US base.

There was another network which should have been tapped.

Check for the region near Chennai and in the flight path you will see all 4 types of buoy. Some of the buoys record acoustic signatures and use that for scientific research under NIOT. Unfortunately it's not as advanced as SOSUS and thus I don't think they have been able to conclude anything with that data. Its said IISc did research using that data from NIOT to improve the sensitivity of the hydrophones and present systems record acoustic data every 3 hour to give an update.

This is a vast network and we have not deployed sensors to actually tap and use this as a full fledged tracking purpose.