Navy warns of fighter planes’ sonic booms in Goa

PANAJI - After the sonic booms of Indian Navy’s MiG-29K fighter planes triggered an alarm in Goa in February, the force Tuesday advised people not to panic if they hear similar loud sounds in the coming days.

The fighter planes’ sonic boom was earlier mistaken for a series of mysterious, unexplained explosions by the public and the state administration.

A sonic boom is a sound similar to a loud explosion which is generated by the shock waves formed on an airplane in supersonic flight.

In a formal statement issued Tuesday, Indian Navy Public Relations Officer (PRO) Commander M.C. Joshi has advised the public not to be alarmed when they hear an occasional boom.

The navy, which did not give any details of the next exercise, assured that the fighter planes’ exercises will be conducted deep into the sea to prevent public alarm.

“The public is advised not to be alarmed should an occasional boom be heard. They may only take it as an assurance that the Indian Navy pilots are practicing hard for safeguarding the nation whilst the citizens go about their daily work,” Joshi said.

“The MiG-29K is an advanced multirole 4th generation air superiority fighter at present being operated from the Indian Navy’s naval air station INS Hansa at Dabolim. This aircraft has the capability to go supersonic at almost twice the speed of sound,” the PRO said.

“In certain atmospheric conditions, sonic booms from a supersonic aircraft may reach distances as far as 20-40 km. The ability to fly at supersonic speed is of great advantage to a fighter pilot in a combat situation and it is therefore important that supersonic flying is practiced to maintain a high level of operational readiness,” he said.

“To achieve this aim, without disturbing the resident population of Goa, MiG-29K pilots at INS Hansa will fly all flights involving supersonic profiles deep into the sea and at very high altitudes,” he said.

“However, there is still a possibility that sonic booms could be heard by the local population and our fishing communities from time to time. These are absolutely harmless to life, health and property. Supersonic flights have been undertaken by the IAF (Indian Air Force) all over the country since the 1970s and are an absolutely normal part of fighter training,” he said.

In February, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat had to order an official inquiry in February after an alarm over the sonic booms in coastal areas.

It was only after the navy was formally contacted by the state administration that the mystery behind the loud sounds was solved, an official said.