Is it a bird? Is it a plane? IAF orders DNA tests

For example,recently,an IAF transport aircraft had a narrow shave when it was hit by a bird at an unprecedented height. The IL 76 was flying between Leh and Chandigarh when it was hit by a bird at over 22,000 feet, said IAFs Director General of Inspection and Safety Air Marshal TS Randhawa. The IL 76 landed safely but raised questions for the IAF which did not expect such an accident at such an altitude.

While larger aircraft can survive bird-hits,collisions with fighter aircraft often result in crashes. The highest danger is to single-engine fighters like the MiG 21,MiG 27 and Mirage 2000 that can suffer a flameout if a bird gets sucked into the engine.

So the IAF is now tying up with a genetics lab to test DNA samples from the remains to profile bird species. The IAF is already using a set of different techniques to minimize bird hits. Besides using guns with blank shots to scare the birds, IAF employs its fleet of Streak Shadow micro light aircraft to shoo the birds away. It has also recently acquired specialized radars to track bird movements near airfields.