By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: In a major setback to Indian Air Force strategic airlift capability, C-130J 'Super Hercules' aircraft involved in an accident that has left it badly damaged while taxing at a high altitude Thoise airfield in Ladakh.

With the accident, IAF is presently left with four of the six such super Hercules airlift, procured from the US for special operations in 2011. Earlier in March, IAF had lost a C-130J during "a tactical low-level training sortie" after it crashed near Gwalior, killing the five personnel on board.

Though accident happened in December, a high-level court of inquiry is on to fix the responsibility of the mishap.

In all, India has ordered 13 C-130Js from the US for over $2.1 billion. While the first six planes were inducted at the Hindon airbase in NCR, the rest are earmarked for the second C-130J squadron to be based at Panagarh in West Bengal for the eastern front with China.