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‘No canopy at 28,000 feet’: story of the Air Force pilot’s “indomitable courage”

‘No canopy at 28,000 feet’: story of the Air Force pilot’s “indomitable courage”

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March 28, 2024

Flight Lieutenant Aman Singh Hans, a fighter pilot with the Indian Air Force, took off with a twin-engine MiG-29 fighter jet for a long-range ferry mission for the Gagan Shakti exercise scheduled for April.

Flight Lieutenant Hans was in the air for 20 minutes when, at 28,000 feet or 8.5 km above the ground, the pilot experienced a sudden explosion and the Head-Up Display (HUD) and “visual reference” went out. At 28,000 feet, atmospheric pressure is very low, air is thin, and oxygen levels drop dramatically.

The pilot realized that the fighter plane’s canopy had been torn off at 28,000 feet.

Representative image of a MiG-29 operated by the Indian Air Force.

The pilot, who was flying at very high speed, was exposed to temperatures of -40 degrees Celsius. There were dangers of hypoxia and disease. He quickly took control of the plane while flying with downward-facing instruments (the displays located on the cockpit panel) as opposed to the HUD that projects information on the windshield. Flight Lieutenant Aman announced an emergency using backup radio control and ensured the safety of any civilian aircraft flying in the vicinity.

He descended to an altitude of 3 kilometers from 8 when the cabin exploded and landed at the nearest air base without radio reception and with severe pain in his eyes.

January 25, 2025

Flight Lieutenant Aman Singh Hans averted a catastrophe. He saved the plane and landed safely. For displaying indomitable valor and exemplary bravery above and beyond the call of duty”, the Government of India awarded him a Shaurya Chakra, the third highest award for bravery in peacetime, on Republic Day this year .Flight Lieutenant Hans is among the eight personnel who received the prestigious gallantry medal on the eve of Republic Day.

The officer was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 2019 and has been flying the MiG-29 since 2020.

MiG-29, NATO name ‘Fulcrum’ and Indian name ‘Baaz’, is an air superiority fighter aircraft originating from Soviet Russia. It was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force in 1987, initially with two squadrons: No. 28 and No. 47 Squadrons.

‘It’s not the first time’

There have been three known incidents, including on March 28 last year, when the canopy of a MiG-29 exploded in midair.

On June 1, 2016, Squadron Leader Rijul Sharma was cleared to conduct an air sortie in a MiG 29 fighter jet to test the aircraft at supersonic speeds at a height of 10 km. While performing the ‘Supersonic Flying Corridor’, he was 110 kilometers from the air base and took off at Mach 1.1 or 1,200 km/h, and the cockpit of the plane shattered.

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Squad Leader Rijul Sharma
Photo credit: www.bharat-rakshak.com

This caused an explosive decompression of the pieces of glass from the cockpit that impacted the pilot’s shoulder. It was exposed to extremely low temperatures of -28 degrees Celsius and strong gusts of wind due to supersonic speed. His right shoulder was seriously injured but the pilot managed to regain control of the aircraft and descended to an altitude of 3 kilometers while reducing speed for effective control.

The pilot managed to land safely and avoided any catastrophe. He managed to avoid any disaster as he was flying to a petrochemical factory. Squadron Leader Rijul Sharma was awarded the Vayu Sena medal (gallantry).

Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, who was a squadron leader in 1994, shared an incident when the “cover” of his MiG-29 was blown away at a speed of Mach 1.9 (almost twice the speed of sound).

Speaking at the book launch. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari, ‘India’s 3 Most Fearless’, shared the incident and said, “I was conducting an aerial test on the MiG-29,” adding that his cockpit “blew up” and awareness time useful in such a situation and the time remaining after explosive decompression at such altitude and speed was only six seconds.”

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Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari

It was flying at an altitude of 12.3 km and a speed of Mach 1.9 and the outside temperature was -53 degrees Celsius. Chaudhari, then a squadron leader in the air force, said he had to descend quickly and “get into the fetal position to avoid the gusts of wind.” He landed safely.

Twenty-seven years later, in 2021, he took over as the chief of the Indian Air Force.


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