Two days ago, on May 24th, the Indian Air Force’s fighter jet, the Sukhoi-30 went missing. The jet was being piloted by Squadron Leader Devesh Pankaj and Flight Lieutenant Achuth Dev. It had taken off from the IAF base in Assam and went off radar in under an hour, near the dense jungles of the Assam-China border.  It was on a usual routine sortie when they lost contact. Search and rescue teams were pressed into action and only after two days of relentless pursuit, the debris of the jet has been found. The pilots though, are still missing, adding to the problems of the IAF. 

72 hours on, wreckage of missing #Sukhoi30 found

Read @ANI_news story -> https://t.co/D2yQSvQaSC pic.twitter.com/kbd1AXSFjl

— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) May 26, 2017

The media and the internet had to take notice and the pressure on the IAF and defense ministry is starting to build up. The news about the missing pilots is all over the Indian internet and people are seriously not happy. 

Flight Lieutenant Achudev. 25 years old. One of the 2 pilots in the missing IAF Su-30 fighter jet. Unimaginable how his family is coping. pic.twitter.com/rJ7jou5BBX

— Livefist (@livefist) May 25, 2017

While some are blaming the lack of technology required for a search and rescue mission.  

@livefist @IAF_MCC Both the Su-30 & also the earlier Antonov incident are a wake up calls for our Radar capabilities,their gaps & tracking abilities

— Krishna Kant Sharma (@krishnakant_75) May 25, 2017

@livefist Also we have an advanced transponder named ADS-B that works on GPS. However, military aircrafts are not equipped with this.

— Arya Ghosh (@Aryanaura) May 26, 2017

@livefist @IAF_MCC What progress technology has made? planes,ppl. go missing, vanishing in thin air and r  not traced?

— vc6000 (@vc60000) May 26, 2017

Other, suspect Chinese involvement in the matter. 

@livefist @IAF_MCC But why such n advanced fighter jet is not able to locate? Very mysterious or is it an intended cover up as it cud b shot down by chinese???

— wijit wij (@wijithwij) May 25, 2017

Fellow pilots have also been tweeting.

Sqn Ldr Devesh was married & had a kid , while Flt Lt Acchu was a bachelor

— Sumann Sharrma (@SumannSharrma) May 23, 2017

This isn’t the first instance when the IAF has lost a Sukhoi. Ever since it’s induction in the force, 7 Sukhois have crashed because of technological glitches.  There’s still no word from the Air Force on whether the jet was shot down or it simply crashed. As the investigation continues, China’s involvement can neither be denied, nor be confirmed at the moment.

As of now, we’re still in the dark but sooner or later, everything will be revealed.