In its fight against the fresh surge in COVID-19 cases, the Indian Air Force has deployed five types of aircraft to ferry essential items to different parts of the country.
The IAF has carried out several sorties to airlift oxygen containers, cylinders, essential medicines and equipment required for setting up and sustaining Covid hospitals and facilities to deal with the surge in cases, the defence ministry said in a statement on Friday.
Aircraft have also been kept on standby to cater to the additional workload.
“The IAF transport aircraft and helicopters have been pressed into service for carrying out these tasks. These include C-17, C-130J, IL-76, An-32 and Avro. Chinook and Mi-17 helicopters are on standby,” the ministry said in a statement.
Transport planes and choppers are on standby for being deployed at short notice, it said.
The IAF on Thursday airlifted three oxygen containers from Hindon to Panagarh in West Bengal where these will be filled up and supplied to different centres for Covid-19 relief.
It also moved oxygen containers from Begumpet to Bhubaneswar on Friday. Once filled, the containers will be carried to Covid Centres by rail or road.