Operator error blamed for recent UAV crashes

Kochi: The Indian Navy is one of the first few navies in the world to induct unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which enhance the force’s surveillance capability.
The Indian Naval Air Squadron 342 (INAS 342), the first UAV squadron of the Indian Navy, comprising 12 Israeli- built Herons and Searcher Mark IIs, was inducted into the Naval Air Arm in Kochi in January 2006.
There have been incidents of UAV crashes earlier. Recently, a UAV belonging to Taneja Aerospace and Aviation Ltd crashed on the outskirts of Hosur in Karnataka.
It crashed while it was on a routine test flight. On January 31, 2010, the DRDO-developed Nishant crashlanded on an agricultural land in Bengarpet in Karnataka, following a technical snag. In another incident, Rustom, the technology demonstrator UAV, crashed during its first sortie performance at Hosur in November 2009.
Experts are of the view that operator error is the reason for the growing number of UAV mishaps in the recent years.
06/05/10 ExpressBuzz

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Categories: Safety May 2010