IAF Completes Inquiry Into Supersonic Missile Firing Incident

“The outcomes of the Court of Inquiry (CoI) have been forwarded for legal vetting, upon which they will be presented to the government,” an unnamed defence official stated. According to another official, legal vetting is one of the numerous administrative phases in the process, which typically takes a few weeks to complete.

At least two authorities stated that it did not appear to be a technical issue with the missile system and was most likely a human error, although the CoI will confirm the exact nature of the disaster.

Some officials with expertise in the missile defense system indicated that the high-end missile system was created with a variety of checks and balances, while eliminating the possibility of a technical malfunction.

“There are a number of software locks that are authorized at various levels, followed by two manual keys before the countdown can begin,” one of the officials stated, also on the condition of anonymity. Another official stated that the system is designed with a high level of redundancy.

The IAF formed a CoI led by an Air Vice Marshal, a two-star officer, to investigate the March 9 incident, which the Pakistan military described as a supersonic surface-to-surface missile flying at three times the speed of sound at 40,000 feet, landing 124 kilometers inside Pakistan and damaging some civilian property.

While India did not specify the missile that was unintentionally launched, officials speculated that it could have been a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile without a warhead.

The BrahMos missile is a collaboration between India’s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya, and it takes its name from the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers.

As it happened: Ministry Of Defence: India ‘Accidentally’ Fired A Missile Entered Pakistan

Both countries, however, avoided an aggressive or intimidatory tone. Post this incident, the Indian charge d’affaires in Islamabad was summoned to the Pakistani foreign office.

According to the Pakistan Foreign Office, the Indian diplomat was informed that the “irresponsible launch” of the flying item not only caused damage to civilian property but also endangered human lives on the ground.

The’supersonic flying object’ reached Pakistan from the Suratgarh border of Rajasthan at 6.43pm PST and plummeted to the earth near Mian Chunnu city at around 6.50pm.

According to the Pakistan Foreign Office, the Indian diplomat was informed that the “irresponsible launch” of the flying item not only caused damage to civilian property but also endangered human lives on the ground.

“Moreover, the flying object’s flight path jeopardized multiple domestic/international planes within Pakistani airspace and may have resulted in a catastrophic aviation accident as well as human casualties,” according to the release.