India uses Russia's IL-76 cargo aircraft for first direct shipment to Antarctica — Here's why

India sent a heavy-duty Russian cargo plane on October 2 to Antarctica to record atmospheric and climate changes in Antarctica. The cargo plane was sent with large scientific instruments and equipment for research. The mission was facilitated by an IL-76 operated by Dronning Maud Land Air Network (DROMLAN), carrying 18 tons of gear, medicines, provisions, and essentials for Indian researchers operating at the research bases, Bharati and Maitri.

According to a report in the Indian Express, this specialised cargo plane, deployed by the military, including the Indian Army, was rerouted via the Manohar International Airport located in Mopa of Goa. The cargo plane will fly to its destination in the southern hemisphere over the next few days en route to South Africa’s Cape Town.

India has been conducting scientific research in Antarctica since 1981. Throughout these years, both research teams and equipment have been sent to Antarctica via ships, often operated by other countries. Since the scientific equipment and gear used for scientific experiments are of a high-end and specialised nature compared to regular cargo shipments, the sea route was selected to keep in mind the operational cost and load-carrying capacity.

However, the volatile geopolitical situation in recent times, delays in obtaining permissions and shipment approvals, and unreliable sea freight services were among the major concerns for the Goa-based National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), the nodal agency responsible for organising India’s scientific expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic.

“Post the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent disruption in the supply chain, our scientific shipments to Antarctica were facing unacceptable delays. As a result, researchers would be forced to wait for their shipments to arrive, thus defeating the whole purpose of the mission. Two of our latest missions to Antarctica experienced a delay in shipment deliveries,” Thamban Meloth, director, NCPOR, told The Indian Express.

Why has India never sent its shipments via air in past?

When Meloth was questioned about why India never considered sending its shipments via air, he replied, “The need was felt due to the supply-chain problem and the delays in shipment deliveries. Also, air cargo is an expensive affair, needs planning and co-ordination as the cargo plane from Russia requires to be re-routed via India. That is why we may not opt for air cargo service every year.”

He noted that, similar to specialised shipment, landing on the icy and frozen Antarctica terrain is challenging, with only specific aircraft types designed to operate and land safely on its specially designed runways. For instance, IL-76 is particularly suited for the continent's blue-ice runways due to its special low-pressure tyres and specialised landing capabilities.

“The 3km-long runway is built and operated during October – early March, when it is winter time in Antarctica. It is the highly trained pilots, like test pilots, who are designated to operate these flights,” the NCPOR director noted.

The first Antarctic research station of India, known as Dakshin Gangotri, was built in 1983 and operated for a few years. Later, the second research station, Maitri, was established in 1989 in the Schimacher oasis region located in north Antarctica with the capability of accommodating about 25 crew members. Recently, Bharati, the third research station, positioned at about 3,000km east of Maitri, became operational in 2012, which supports 47 crew members at a time.