One of the two Aerostat radars became unserviceable due to sloppy maintenance which resulted in an accident in May 2009. Indian Comptroller and Auditor General have informed the Indian Parliament that this has resulted in los of to Rs 302 crore.
CAG has said that fabric used in the aerostat was rotten which resulted in the leakage of helium. Indian Air Force had purchased two Aerostat radars for aerial early warning to detect the low-flying fighter jets from a distance of 250 km in 2002 from Israeli defense firm Rafael.
CAG report claims that only two meteorological assistants were operating the radar against the authorized personal requirement of four officers and nine assistants. Damaged aerostat radar is unlikely to become available for active service in near future as repairs will take atleast 18 months after a contract is awarded and as of June 2011, no such contract was awarded.
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