The Ukraine Connection

It was the landing point of Noah’s Ark that came to rest on the slopes of Mount Ararat in Turkey once the flood receded from the Black Sea. Now the war is in the airspace over the Black Sea as the warships of US and NATO forces have to move against Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow-backed separatists control swatch of territory Donetsk and Luhansk in an ongoing conflict. Will there be another annexation like Crimean Peninsula by Russia in 2014?

The crisis leaves foreigners staying in Ukraine worried amid warnings from western powers that an invasion by Russia could be imminent but it has finally begun as Russia strikes Ukraine by firing missiles and bombarding at Defence Installations. For a saving grace, the world doesn’t want another World War III but President Putin ordered troops into two rebel-held regions in eastern Ukraine after recognizing them as independent states while attacking by land, air and sea. Ukraine has to retaliate with missiles to Russian border. Now the Eastern Europe is tense with fear while people stuck in as airspace and roads closed in times of uncertainty and danger.

The recent development has reminded us about that country of decade past as Alex was pursuing his Medical study then. He was telling about those historic cities of Ukraine that has well-preserved glorious past of beautiful churches, impressive castles and fortresses. The formerly republic of Soviet Union had a long periods of successive domination by Poland, Lithuania, Russia and USSR. The country is the land of Vodka and people over there are obsessed with football. A papaya is luxurious and most exorbitant fruit. The world has also been tragically reminded the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant that evacuated the entire city Pryp’yat. There are blossoms, fruits and leaves of the apple tree but no takers for the fear of highly radioactive.

Ukraine is not a developed country but with well-established infrastructure from undivided Russia. Our country has strategic partner with Ukraine for its military transport Antonov AN-32 in the mid-80s and now India is the only major operator of AN-32 in the world today. It purchased over a hundred of aircraft for Indian Air Force where I had come across many occasions as an air warrior with that powerful turboprop twin engine that can fly over mountains and seas. Operationally it has high vibration levels and is noisy to fly over long durations. Travelers usually get tired and induced fatigue often with AN-32 over the mountains. The noise inside the aircraft was unbearable without an earmuff.

There’re series of incidents that military aircrafts got lost flying over the Himalayas. The supply mission to Mechuka ALG in Arunachal is always challenging as sorties are to be undertaken to see if it’s good enough to conduct a landing. IAF pilot on AN-32 reopened Daulat Beg Oldi in 2008, the highest airfield in the world, while landing on mud strip. The aircraft needed up gradation to increase the lifespan on ageing workhorse. Recently the entire fleets have been overhauled with advance avionics, communication equipment, and landing aids to increase the lifespan of the aircraft.

Those incidents illustrate the pros and cons of aviation, while AN-32 served Indian Air Force for four decades to transport troops and cargo over difficult terrain. It has been designed for flights in hot climates and mountainous region and can even take-off and land on rough airfields and dirt runways. However, despite the handful of incidents in the past, the AN-32 continues to be the most reliable transport aircraft in the IAF inventory.

While I recalled memorable moments in my days with aviation, it was another airlift with that Ukrainian transport. Our AN-32, where I was boarding at Guwahati, observed a snag on landing gear, while trying to land at Air Force Station Chakeri (Kanpur). The pilot was determined an emergency landing (belly landing) with gear in the up position. With the availability of fly-by-wire system in AN-32 that incorporate electrically powered backup flight controls which remain operational even in the event of a total loss of hydraulic power, could able to land with faulty wheels at the last moment. While landing hard on rough runway, it was like a bumpy camel ride on an unpaved ground. Miraculously, we all crewmen and passengers aboard that Ukrainian Antonov survived.