Service No : 961909-L
Place of birth : Kanpur Dist (UP)
Last Rank : Corporal
Unit : 154 HU AF
Arm/Regt : Indian Air Force
Operation : CI & IS Ops
Awards : Mention-in-Despatches
Martyrdom : February 27, 2019
Corporal Deepak Pandey
Corporal Deepak Pandey hailed from the Chakeri village in the Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. Only son of Shri Ram Prakash Pandey and Smt Rama Pandey, Cpl Deepak Pandey had joined the Indian Air Force in the year 2014. He was trained for technical operations on MI-17 Helicopters being flown by the Indian Air Force. After completing his initial training Cpl Deepak got posted to the Air Force base at Jamnagar in Gujarat. Later he got transferred to the forward air base at Srinagar.
Mi-17 Air Mission: 27 Feb 2019
During Feb 2019, Cpl Deepak Pandey was serving with 154 HU based at Srinagar. 154 HU was raised in the year 2012 at Srinagar with the motto of "Apatsu Mitram" meaning "A friend in time of need". The unit was operating the Mi-17 V-5 helicopter, the most advanced variant of the Mi-17 family operated by the IAF, and was fitted with a full glass cockpit, advanced avionics, weather radar, and powerful Klimov VK2500 engines delivering 2,700 hp each. The Mi-17 V-5 could also be flown at night as its cockpit was Night Vision Goggle (NVG) compatible. The twin-engine helicopter was capable of single-engine flight and landing. It could achieve a top speed of 250 kmph and a cruise speed of 220-230 kmph. Mi-17 V-5s could also undertake armed missions for which they could be fitted with four pylons to carry suspended pods with 23mm cannons and 250 rounds each, up to 80 S-8 80mm unguided aerial rockets and bombs. Cpl Deepak Pandey's unit was responsible for undertaking air transport and logistics operations in support of the Army as well as IAF operations in J & K.
On 27 Feb 2019, the unit was tasked with one more such mission in support of ongoing joint operations of Army and IAF in J&K. Cpl Deepak Pandey along with other aircrew including Sgt Vikrant Sahrawat, Sgt Vishal Kumar Pandey and Cpl Pankaj Kumar were detailed for an air support mission being flown by Wg Cdr Sidharth Vashisht as captain and Sqn Ldr Ninad Mandavgane as co-pilot. The crew after having gone through their preparatory checks got ready to take off as per the operational plan on 27 Feb 2019. The Mi-17 V-5 aircraft (ZP-5220) took off as planned at 1000 hrs but soon after flying for nearly 10 minutes crashed in an open field near Garend Kalaan village in Budgam district about 10 km from the Srinagar International Airport. The helicopter broke into pieces and caught fire which made it impossible to save the crew members. All six valiant air warriors could not survive and laid down their lives in the service of the nation. Subsequent investigation revealed that the ill-fated Mi-17 V-5 was hit by the SPYDER ("Surface-to-air Python and Derby"), the IAF's short and medium-range mobile air defence system, in an operationally charged environment by mistake. Cpl Deepak Pandey was a valiant and competent air warrior, who laid down his life in the line of his duty. Cpl Deepak Pandey was awarded 'Mention-in-Despatches" (Posthumously) for his commendable courage, and supreme sacrifice.
Corporal Deepak Pandey is survived by his father Shri Ram Prakash Pandey and mother Smt Rama Pandey.
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