The Indian military's top brass prepares for a grand paratrooper parachute jump
In early 2013, India's top military officials set their sights on the paratroopers, an elite force.
India has been eager to demonstrate its military prowess for years, and paratroopers, a striking combat arm, can be the best way to demonstrate its national might.
With more than 3,000 well-trained members, the Indian paratroopers are known as the "Red Devils" and are highly capable.
If we can organize a large-scale and highly visualized paratrooper parachute jumping performance, it will certainly produce a great shocking effect.
As a result, the Indian military's top brass made a resolute decision to hold a large-scale paratrooper parachute show in March this year. The venue for the performance was chosen at the Pokaran Range in Ajasthan, which is easily accessible and has open terrain, which is ideal for skydiving.
At the same time, the mild climate of March was deliberately chosen to ensure that the skydive went smoothly.
After making the plan clear, the Indian military quickly began preparations. They strictly screened from paratroopers from all over the country, and finally selected 33 paratroopers with excellent physical fitness and well-trained as the main members of the performance.
At the same time, dozens of sets of expensive professional umbrella bags have been imported from the United States to ensure that the equipment is advanced and reliable.
And in order to ensure that the parachute jump performance has a wide impact, the Indian military top brass also carefully arranged the exhibition activities. They extended invitations to celebrities from all walks of life, including foreign envoys, to come to the Pocalan Range to see the unprecedented parachute jump.
At that time, dignitaries from various countries will surely gather at the scene, and India's military strength will be unobstructed.
After nearly two months of meticulous deployment, an unprecedented paratrooper parachute jump show was finally fully prepared. The Indian military is confident that it will be able to demonstrate India's strong defence capabilities to the world.
But what they didn't expect was that what happened next would surprise everyone.
33 paratroopers actively trained and went all out
After the Indian military decided to hold a paratrooper parachute jump, the 33 paratroopers in charge of the mission also quickly plunged into intense training. When the official list was announced, and their names were prominently listed, they all felt extremely honored.
Most of the 33 paratroopers have been serving in the unit for many years and are well-trained and experienced. And in order to present the performance perfectly, everyone did not slack off, and everyone devoted themselves to every training.
In just one month, they repeated the standard procedure of parachuting from an airplane hundreds of times to ensure that the parachute could be accurately opened and landed steadily. According to the performance script, a number of gorgeous and exciting aerial combo movements were repeatedly rehearsed, which required a high degree of understanding and cooperation between the team.
When training, these battle-hardened warriors have no reservations and use their skills to the extreme. Sometimes there was a mistake in the difficult maneuver drill, and they simply treated the wound, and then climbed on the plane again to continue the training without a word of complaint.
Everyone understands that this opportunity is of great significance to the Indian military, and it shoulders the heavy responsibility of demonstrating its national strength and enhancing its military prestige.
Not only that, but the 533 paratroopers also formed a deep friendship during this training. They came from all over India and didn't know each other in the first place. But in order to prepare for this performance, everyone gets along day and night, shares weal and woe, and has become one.
This tacit understanding that transcends blood ties is the solid foundation for their success.
When the big day finally arrived on March 11, the 33 Indian paratroopers were ready to present their elaborate performances flawlessly.
They have only one belief in their hearts: to win glory for the country! In front of the audience and the camera, they will dedicate a perfect aerial masterpiece.
The skydiving show officially began, and the thrilling links were frequent
On March 11, 2013, after two months of preparation, the paratrooper parachute jump was officially held at the Pokaran Range in Ajasthan. At 9 a.m., after the official opening ceremony, 33 paratroopers in bright uniforms boarded the pre-prepared transport planes and began their voyage to the airspace of the show.
During the final review before the ceremony, the experts of the appraisal team carefully checked the parachute equipment of all the paratroopers and all of them passed the test. This batch of umbrella bags is a professional equipment imported by the Indian military from the United States, with excellent performance and excellent quality, which can ensure the safety of skydiving.
When the plane lifted off 3,000 meters, the 33 paratroopers stood up in good spirits. At the command officer's command, they quickly formed a neat parachute formation and jumped out of the hatch one by one.
The first thing to do as planned is to assemble the movements. The 33 paratroopers spread out in the air and became a musical note, like the sound of heaven stretching in the air against the background of the blue sky and white clouds.
This creative session immediately attracted applause and cheers from the audience.
Immediately afterwards, the paratroopers completed a more difficult air drifting, circling and flipping movements, and the beauty of their bodies was eye-catching. They are comparable to free swallows in the air, and like meteors in the sky, they amazed the audience.
However, at the critical moment when the parachute opened, the expected large white umbrella did not appear in the backpacks of one paratrooper after another. They continue to fall at breakneck speed, but there is nothing they can do.
At this time, the audience suddenly realized that the situation was out of control, and the scene quickly fell into chaos.
The paratroopers fell en masse, and the parachuting performance turned into a tragedy
Seeing that the 33 paratroopers continued to fall rapidly, the scene suddenly fell into a panic. The audience turned pale and looked up in horror at the paratroopers in the sky who were about to fall, but could not do anything.
The number of people who fell was too large and the scope was too wide, and it was too late to save it.
The paratroopers in the fall were also well aware that the end was inevitable. They struggled to open their backpacks, but to no avail. This was supposed to be life-saving equipment at a critical moment, but now it has become a life-dragging weight.
Dozens of bodies of different shapes smashed to the ground one after another, making a heavy impact sound that stirred up dust. Some bodies fell to the rocks, and their broken arms and leg bones were exposed; Some fell into puddles, causing a splash of broken water.
There was a sudden dead silence at the scene, and only low moans and chatters were left to talk about the remaining signs of life. Sixteen paratroopers were killed on the spot, many more were seriously wounded, and rivers of blood flowed horribly.
This sudden tragedy shocked and grieved everyone present. The Indian paratroopers who were proud just now turned into the wreckage of life in the wilderness in an instant.
The audience and the organizers looked at each other, and no one could solve this sudden bad luck.
Even more sad are the families of the fallen fighters. Relatives who learned the bad news burst into tears and were heartbroken. They questioned why the military had allowed unarmed soldiers to risk their lives to put on a show, and why they had rushed to use the equipment without checking its safety.
For a time, there was endless debate about the cause of the accident, and both the Indian military and government were questioned.
The parachute jump, which was supposed to show the prestige of the country through a grand performance, turned into an irreparable tragedy. 33 young lives died in this way, and their young lives had infinite possibilities, but they were ruthlessly cut off.
The entire Indian military has been overshadowed by the incident, and morale and reputation have been dealt a heavy blow, and the lesson has been extremely painful.
After the investigation of the cause, the relevant departments will be held responsible
After the tragic parachute jump, the Indian authorities quickly launched an investigation into the cause of the accident. After investigating the scene of the accident, the experts first ruled out the human factor, because the probability of 33 paratroopers having problems at the same time is very small.
The next focus is on this batch of American-made umbrella bags.
According to the predetermined procedure, this batch of umbrella bags has undergone strict safety checks before use, and all of them are qualified. However, after disassembling and analyzing the damaged umbrella bag, experts found a fatal problem: the automatic parachute opening device has a design flaw and cannot be triggered normally at a certain height.
This hidden birth defect was a major mistake and the root cause of this tragedy.
Although the problem lies in the equipment provided by the United States, the relevant departments of India cannot escape the blame. In their eagerness to make a name for themselves through a grand show, they had loopholes in the procurement and inspection of umbrella bags and failed to fulfill their due responsibilities, which directly led to the loss of soldiers' lives and serious damage to the country's image.
As a result, the Indian military's top brass has conducted a profound review and rectification. The procurement of important equipment must establish a sound quality control mechanism, and there can be no luck; Officers and men at all levels must strictly abide by the rules and regulations and must not simplify the operation process without authorization; In addition, large-scale exhibitions must be carried out with caution, and the so-called "pomp" must not be risked at the expense of the lives of soldiers.
These are all profound enlightenments that this incident has brought to the Indian military.
At the same time, the government has also actively dealt with the aftermath and helped the families of the soldiers who were killed to tide over the difficulties. Although the results of the investigation were not due to the subjective negligence of the military, the government still took the initiative to provide financial compensation and spiritual comfort to the families of the dead and wounded soldiers as a sign of sincerity and concern for them.
Although the lives lost are irretrievable, we must learn from them so that their sacrifices are not wasted. It is believed that with the impact of this tragedy, the Indian military will be more cautious and responsible, carry out major activities and equipment procurement in a scientific and standardized manner, and earnestly safeguard the lives and safety of the vast number of military personnel.
The tragedy of skydiving has far-reaching implications, and the lessons are profound
The tragedy of paratroopers' parachuting in Ajasthan, India, not only brought a huge shock to the local people and society, but also had a negative impact far beyond the region.
The incident dealt a severe blow to India's defence capabilities and the image of the military.
The first is the impact on the Indian military. I wanted to show military strength through a grand show, but it ended in tragedy, and what I succeeded in winning should have been awe, but what I got was denigration; The image of rigor that was intended to be built was ruined, leaving the impression of rashness and irresponsibility.
This has undoubtedly dealt a serious blow to the confidence and morale of the military.
At the same time, all sectors of Indian society have also expressed strong disappointment, sorrow, and condemnation of the military. Public opinion was boiling over for a while, questioning the military's loopholes and luck in organizing activities, and blaming the government for failing to fulfill its responsibilities in regulating and supporting it.
Relatives and friends have accused the military of putting soldiers at such risks without their consent. For a time, the credibility of the military and political system was discredited.
The lessons of this tragedy are profound. It has made the Indian military realize that the construction of armed forces is not represented by the number of hardware, but more needs scientific and standardized management and operation.
Strive to be superficial and ignore the actual effect, and ultimately harm others and oneself. When it comes to paratroopers, it is not enough to be agile, but also to have persistent training and the ability to respond to unexpected situations.
This is the only way to enhance real national defense capabilities.
At the same time, this incident has also made the Indian government realize that the supervision of the military should not stop at the policy level, but also pay more attention to the actual actions at the grassroots level. Major military activities need to be carefully evaluated to prevent irrational views on political performance from leading to rash advances.
The government should also strengthen supervision over the use of military funds and put an end to the malpractices caused by collusion between private individuals.
It can be said that this tragedy is a wake-up call for Indian society. As a responsible major country, modern national defense construction needs to be rational and scientific, rather than subjective assumptions and political performance psychology.
Only by drawing lessons from history can India gradually embark on the road of becoming a strong military. We hope that India will draw lessons from this incident and truly build a national defense force with a strong work style and good quality.