Indian Navy's submarine hunter P8i Neptune joins search for missing IAF An-32

The Indian Navy has moved one its most advanced assets to join the search for the Indian Air Force An-32 that has been missing in Arunachal Pradesh since Monday. A P8i Neptune long-range reconnaissance aircraft took off from a naval airbase in Tamil Nadu to join the search and rescue operation.

The Indian Navy's P8i is a specialised anti-submarine warfare aircraft, which is also equipped to carry out surface surveys over large areas. It was used in the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 when it went missing.

The P8i is often referred to as a submarine hunter, but its capabilities could help take a more detailed look at the hilly terrain of the Northeast. The Indian Navy presently has eight P8i aircraft, and all of them are based at the naval air base INS Rajali in Arakkonam, 80 km west of Chennai.

The Antonov An-32 transport aircraft of the



Indian Air Force went missing on Monday after taking off from the IAF airbase at Jorhat in Assam, with 13 people on board. It was headed to the Menchuka Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) in Arunachal Pradesh, which is about 30 km south of the India-China border. The Menchuka ALG plays a key role in airlifting supplies to troops posted in the region.

The search for the missing aircraft is a difficult task because of the terrain of the area. The region is covered by rolling hills and valleys, which cause difficulties for detection of the missing plane's location from both land and air.

The search for the An-32 has already seen a number of military and civilian assets. Satellites have been tasked with surveying the region, and aircraft like the IAF's Sukhoi Su-30 MKI and C-130 Hercules have been committed to using their advanced radar and avionics to scour the region for the missing plane.