A day after a jet was hit by several birds moments after take-off, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has released the video of the incident on Friday showing how the alert pilot averted a major tragedy and loss of life.
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Pilot’s presence of mind and swift response may have saved his life and potentially those on the ground when the fighter jet he was flying ran into birds
As the IAF Jaguar aircraft, loaded with two additional fuel drop tanks and Carrier Bomb Light Stores pods (used to store practice bombs), is seen taking off for a training mission in Ambala, it is soon hit by a flock of birds which results in the failure of one of its engines.
The video shows the two detachable fuel tanks and practice bombs known as Carrier Bomb Light Stores (CBLS) pods being dropped off from the plane, triggering an explosion and a ball of fire that set the dry bushes near the runway ablaze, leaving the area covered with smoke.