Pakistan downloaded sensitive data from the IAF helicopter landed in POK

[Kunal Biswas]

What an absurd thing, this is the highest limit of ignorance of IA systems.
This is very obvious that Pak downloaded all the data so we need to change our whole coordinate coding system including everything which Pak can track easily.

The moment we noted Helo landed, Every thing got changed..

 

[sayareakd]

it is high time we should have those secure digital equipment, something like just enter the button and all the data is destroyed, or at least it cannot be access though unauthorised means, some people are working on these things.

BTW as far as stolen data is concern what do you expect from Paksitan, actually i was bit surprised that allow the heli to return it with crew on the same day.

 

[Welcome]

not surprised....bcoz it's obvious...
india will do same in this type of case.

 

[Yusuf]

Pakis will be pakis!

How was data easily downloaded? It should be encrypted.
Even when the helo landed there isn't there any kill mechanism that erases info stored? The other option was to destroy the bird itself but that would have meant that it was on a recce mission and put the lives of the soldiers in trouble.

There should have been encryption and there should have been a kill mechanism as far as data is concerned.

 

[pankaj nema]

It was but natural and obvious . It is SOP in such matters

At least we got the helicopter back which must have been worth atleast 5 million USD I guess

BTW If they had imprisioned our crew our PM would have had another heart attack

The pakistanis must be low on morale with N Waziristan ,Haqqanis , USA on their plate

Perhaps they didnt want cease fire to be blown off

Guess they are running low on ammo So they dont want to waste ammo in arty duels with IA

 

[ace009]

Even encrypted data can be downloaded - it might take them days or even weeks to break the encryption. Also, the reason all the systems in the Helo were wiped clean is possibly because Pakis did not want the IA to know exactly how much they could decipher. It may also be a failsafe in the system - in case system is compromised, all data is to be wiped.

IA will surely change all codes and signals, but once Pakis break the encryption, they will know the exact location of the helipads and other IA locations (listening posts etc). THAT is bad news.

 

[SpArK]

Its getting funnier...

"There is no secret information in any helicopter. It is regular information that is needed for any machine. So I do not think that is the case," Minister of State for Defence M.M. Pallam Raju said.


The comment came in the wake of a report that the country's security has been breached as Pakistan Army downloaded confidential information on helipads along the borders after the Cheetah helicopter strayed into Pakistani Kashmir and was forced to land Sunday.

'No sensitive material on chopper that strayed into Pakistan' - The Economic Times

 

[pankaj nema]

When USA lost its helicopter in Abottabad the crew FIRST used a HAMMER to destroy all equipment in
the cockpit and then blew it with explosives

Of course it was far superior and stealth and all that but my point is that the ONLY way to prevent
your secrets being leaked is using Explosives

 

[mayfair]

I find myself shuttling between disgust and fury at the incompetence of those managing our security affairs. You bet yer arse none of those responsible for this will be penalised. One can only hope that lessons will be learnt and imbibed.

 

[p2prada]

Sh!t happens and this is one of those things which was unintentional. Bad weather forced the helicopter to make a landing. Excellent diplomatic efforts on bringing our boys back along with the helicopter.

If I was their commander, I would have had a really hard time explaining to their family why things went bad had only bodies returned. So, us commoners don't have to break a sweat. Let the higher ups handle the situation and hope they land on our own helipad the next time.

 

[Tshering22]

Was bound to happen. But this once again highlights the "oh my goodness elitists" IAF/IA/IN/GOI point: they are abysmally reactive for the position, power and image they wield rather than proactive.

Reactive is never an option and we learn it everytime losing precious resources in material or kind (like this). Pitiful.

 

[sesha_maruthi27]

Army will change codes of helipads, call signs in Ladakh


New Delhi October 25
Two days after an Army helicopter strayed into Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) after crossing the Line of Control (LoC) in the Drass sector, the code names of the helipads that dot the Himalayas in Ladakh will be changed along with the calls signs of the pilots of the Army Aviation Corps operating in that militarily sensitive mountainous region.

The process has started and will be completed over the next couple of days. Sources said the move has been initiated after it was suspected that Pakistan authorities, who questioned the four Army personnel during their stay in the PoK, had read the global positioning system aboard the copter to establish whether or not the Indian crew was speaking the truth.

Indian authorities had said the helicopter carrying two pilots, an engineer and a Junior Commissioned Officer had strayed into PoK airspace due to inclement weather conditions.

The LoC in the Drass-Kragil sector runs across a ridgeline that has an average height of 11,000 feet. The incident occurred around 1.20 pm on Sunday and the Indian crew was released four hours later following intervention from the Directors General of Military Operations and senior diplomats on both sides.

It was but quite obvious that Pakistan authorities, after quizzing the Indian crew, studied the GPS to establish whether or not they were speaking the truth, admitted a functionary. However, he added that there was no major cause for alarm. All that needs to be done is to change the code names of helipads and call signs of pilots, he added.

The process of changing call signs of pilots is a continuous one and at times these are normally changed once a week. An official explained the codes of helipads are not by the name of the place. For example, a helipad in Drass will not necessarily be called Drass. It could be identified by just a number or even a alpha-numeric code.

The Cheetah does not have any other guiding system for the pilots like an international navigation system (INS) or an electronic command and control suite.

The copter that strayed into the PoK had a GPS system on-board which records its movement and on a prompt from the pilot, displays the coordinates and code names of the helipads in the vicinity. This information is recorded on the hard drive of the GPS.

Army sources, however, down played the apprehension that Pakistan would now be able to read the coordinates of India's helipads.

 

[Neil]

US helped India secure release of army chopper: Sources Read more at: http://indiat

India had sought help from the Unites States to secure the release of army's Cheetah helicopter after it strayed into Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) recently, sources told Headlines Today on Tuesday.
Sources said a senior Indian official called up his counterpart in the US to ensure the release of the chopper that had entered PoK by mistake.

The US official, in turn, spoke with senior officials in Pakistani army to secure safe release of the helicopter.
The director general military operations also spoke over the hotline, but American pressure helped avert what could have become a big crisis.

The chopper was flying in bad weather conditions and had one lieutenant colonel, two majors and a junior commissioned officer (JCO) on board when it was forced to land in Skardu in PoK.

Quite unlike the Kargil war, when Flight Lieutenant Nachiketa was taken as a prisoner of war, this time, the four officials were allowed to refuel and return to India.


Read more at: US helped India secure release of army chopper: Sources : North News - India Today

 

[Mr.Ryu]

^^^ so we arm twist US and the arm twist Pak ?


Just joking but technically

 

[Yusuf]

Ok then what are then let us discuss what are the chances that the helo was actually upto something near the border? Recon or maybe just to check on enemy defenses since Ray sir has pointed out it would be really difficult to actually lose way in bad weather.

 

[Ray]

I would not say that they were upto some mischief.

I am merely surprised as to how they strayed.

Helicopters do not fly above weather and so are constantly doing terrain navigation.

It is a straight routes with good landmarks. Having flown this route extensively.

But this much is true that the weather can change and is fickle as they say, like a woman!

Maybe it was real stormy and they were buffeted off course!

Controlling a rotor wing aircraft is more difficult that a fixed wing or so they say.

 

[p2prada]

Controlling a rotor wing aircraft is more difficult that a fixed wing or so they say.

It is. It gets worse in rarefied atmosphere because there is decreased power. As for storms, let's just say a novice will get you killed.

I have a lot of respect for helicopter pilots, especially the ones involved over mountains and rescue crews over oceans. Tough job.

 

[nrj]

If I've understood it right looking at recent posts,

• Pilots do not venture above poor weather.
• Even in bad weather, its unlikely that chopper will miss its route.

Then what it seems is that, onboard navigation malfunctioned

or

it was act of humbugging? a dupery?

Pak took security data from chopper

GPS coordinates of all helipads in the 14 Corps including Siachen Glacier and LAC are now with Pakistan army with code signs and nicknames

deliberately feeding wrong information?

Just a thought.

 

[ace009]

Ohhh - now the conspiracy theories start flying.

Great!

 

[bhramos]

Pak returning Indian chopper 'very good step': US - Indian Express

The US has described Pakistan returning an Indian chopper which had strayed into its territory as a "very, very good step" and hoped to see progress in relations between the two South Asian neighbours to continue.

State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland noted that this was a result of "increased dialogue" between India and Pakistan and the two countries reestablishing some hotlines and emergency procedures through which they were able to speak directly with each other.

"So that's a very, very good step, and the kind of step – and the kind of progress we hope to see continue," she said in reply to a question about the incident that happened this week in the region in which a Cheetah helicopter of Indian Army's Aviation Corps with four officers on board inadvertently crossed the border.

"My understanding is this was actually, as these things go, a relatively good news story, that as a result of the increased dialogue between India and Pakistan and the fact that they have re-established some hotlines and emergency procedures, they were able to speak directly, thereby avoiding an incident," Nuland said yesterday.