After key role in Ladakh, C-17s leading IAF’s Covid relief work
The Indian Air Force’s C-17 Globemaster III fleet, which played a crucial role in transporting soldiers and military equipment to eastern Ladakh last year when the border row with China was at its peak, is now at the centre of IAF’s efforts for Covid-19 relief, with eight such heavy-lift aircraft flying sorties regularly to international and domestic locations to help overcome a frightening shortage of oxygen, officials familiar with the developments said on Tuesday.
The US-origin C-17s account for the bulk of the total flying hours clocked by IAF for Covid-related duties so far, said one of the officials cited above. A C-17 can carry a payload of almost 77 tonne.
