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IAF flyboys perfect new delivery systems; mom and child both fine

Indian Air Force pilots played midwives in an incident that reflects the human face of the flyboys.

In a recent rescue operation in Shillong, pilots of the Eastern Air Command saved a tribal woman, who was in an advanced stage of pregnancy, from the jaws of death. The woman was bleeding profusely, and needed to be shifted to a hospital for treatment.

Time being of the essence, the pilots rose to the occasion, mounting a rescue operation to the inhospitable terrain. Not only did they shift the woman to Itanagar for advanced medical attention, but they also played midwives en route, helping the lady deliver.

The unsung part of their operations is the relief and rescue operations, in extremely treacherous conditions, they carry out as a matter of routine.

In such operations, the IAF presses into service medium-lift AN32 cargo aircraft at Jorhat, and heavy-lift MI-8 helicopters in Silchar, Monanbari and Guwahati especially for emergency food supply and evacuation of marooned people.

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