The grounding of the fleet has triggered concerns in India as the IAF has two squadrons of IL-76 comprising 12 aircraft. Known as Gajraj because of the huge size of the aircraft, the squadrons are based in Chandigarh and Nagpur.
The IAF also has six `cousins' of the Gajraj - the IL-78 mid-air refuellers in Agra. The IL-78 tankers were acquired from Uzbekistan and are relatively new. The IL-76s were inducted from Russia in the mid-1980s.
In the Siberian incident, the IL-76 crashed soon after takeoff from Mirny airport in the Sakha Republic. This is the second such accident involving the IL-76 in less than a month.
The IL-76 aircraft are the mainstay of the Soviet and Russian Air Force since the 1970s.
Sources in the IAF say that Russia has so far not communicated anything on reasons behind the grounding of the fleet.
Earlier, Russia had grounded its entire MiG-29 fleet. But India did not follow suit.
IAF has been facing the problem of serviceability of the IL-76s. Availability of spares for the four-engine IL-76 s has also been a major issue after the Soviet Union broke up. Moreover, the Gajarajs have started ageing as the aircraft are of 1970s vintage, with old avionics. This has forced India to shop in the US for its heavy transport aircraft category. In 2007, India signed a $962 million contract for six American C-130 J Super Hercules heavy-lift aircraft.
Sources say that the IAF is keen on acquiring at least 10 American C-17 Globemaster-III giant military transport aircraft.
Source: India Syndicate
