In addition to nine warships and 14 aircraft participating in the search efforts, the Indian Navy’s Rapid Interceptor Ship is also deployed to search waters along the coast, according to a defense statement.
“The search and rescue effort by the Indian Navy to locate the second pilot of the MiG-29K training aircraft that left Goa on November 26 continues with an extensive deployment of ships and naval aircraft,” a defense statement said.
“Some debris from the aircraft has been located, including the landing gear, the turbocharger, the fuel tank engine and the wing engine cover,” he said.
The Maritime Police and the Coastal Police are on the lookout and nearby fishing villages have been sensitized, the statement added.
The jet of Russian origin had taken off from aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, and it fell around 5 p.m. Thursday, authorities said, adding that a pilot of the aircraft had been rescued.
The MiG-29K is an all-weather carrier-based multi-role fighter jet developed by the Russian aerospace company Mikoyan (MiG). The Indian Navy had acquired a fleet of 45 MiG-29Ks from Russia more than a decade ago at a cost of around USD 2 billion to operate from INS Vikramaditya.
INS Vikramaditya was part of the second phase of the Malabar exercise that involved the navies of India, the United States, Australia and Japan.
The MIG-29K fleet aboard the aircraft carrier also participated in the naval mega drill that took place from 17 to 20 November.
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