The fifth rotation of the Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent to be deployed in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of UN Forces was flagged-off by the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal NV Tyagi, from Palam, today.

Group Captain Pradip Waman Ambekar leads the contingent comprising 285 air warriors. The contingent will be located along Rwanda-Uganda border. Addressing the air warriors, Air Marshal Tyagi congratulated every member of the contingent for being selected for the peace-keeping mission and interacted with them wishing good luck and success.

The contingent will operate Mi-17 helicopters in the erstwhile volatile provinces of Kivu and Ituri. The helicopters would be employed for observation, recce, casualty evacuation, logistics supply, troop insertion-extraction and armed support, as and when required. The attack helicopters will provide deterrence and cover to Mi-17 operations and ground convoys.