IAF Su-30 MKI Shoots Down Foreign Object

An Indian Air Force Su-30MKI fighter aircraft shot down a balloon-like suspicious object on Tuesday morning in Rajasthan’s Barmer area.

"Between 10:3am and 11am today, an unidentified balloon shaped object was picked up by IAF radar. An IAF fighter was launched which intercepted the object and brought it down. Further investigation is underway," an IAF spokesperson was quoted as saying in various media reports.

According to PTI, defence sources said the object was likely to be a meteorological balloon.

The Barmer police obtained some metal pieces, which were reported to have fallen from the sky, TOI reported. However, triangle kind of metallic objects were not an explosive material.

It said people of Gugardi and Panavara villages under Pachpadra Thana area heard the defeaning sound blasts in about 5km radius.

Similar blast sounds were heard last year in January month at Sinleejageer village, and IAF was probing that incident too, the police said.