After repeated crashes, India grounds Sukhoi-30 fleet; safety checks on

New Delhi: India has grounded its entire Sukhoi-30 fleet and each aircraft is undergoing a thorough technical check following a recent crash near Pune.The fleet of about 200 twin-engine Su-30s would be back in air only when they are cleared by the technical review.[caption id="attachment_1768507" align="alignleft" width="380"] IAF's Sukhoi 30 aircraft. AFP[/caption]"The fleet has been grounded and is undergoing technical checks following the latest accident in Pune. It would be back in air only after a thorough check," IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Simranpal Singh Birdi said.He did not specify what were the specific technical aspects that the force is looking into.The grounded fleet represent almost a third of the country's fighter fleet.The IAF is down to 34 combat squadrons, as against an authorised strength of 44. Each squadron has up to 18 fighter planes.Last week, a Sukhoi-30 MKI had crashed in a field near Pune, and preliminary findings had suggested a technical problem in the fly-by-wire system as the cause and not human error.In a press statement, the IAF had named the pilots as Wing Commander S Munje and Flying Officer Anup Singh."The SU 30 MKI Aircraft accident is under investigation. A Court of Inquiry is in progress to ascertain the actual cause of accident," he said.Incidentally, one of the two pilots was involved in a previous Su-30 crash too.This was the fifth accident involving a SU 30 MKI since 2009 and the fleet has at least been grounded twice earlier.PTI