Last week, the Indian Navy lost one of its most accomplished officers.
Captain HS Jhajj, Commissioning CO of the navy’s P-8I squadron, passed away suddenly from a cardiac arrest on Saturday. He was only 43.
Jhajj, who had earlier served as XO on the Bramhaputra-class guided missile frigate, INS Betwa, was the first navy pilot to be trained on the Boeing P-8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft, the first to fly a P-8I aircraft to India, the officer in charge of the navy’s P-8I induction, spearheaded the navy’s search operation for the Malaysian MH370 airliner and next month, would have been the first commanding officer of the P-8I squadron when it is commissioned next month.
StratPost got a chance to interview him (then a Commander) after he landed with the first P-8I at INS Rajali, last year. Here’s what he had to say.
Captain Jhajj is survived by his wife and two sons.