IAF’s LCA Tejas crashed at Dubai Air Show.
LCA Tejas Crash: Indian Air Force lost its domestically designed and built Tejas Fighter Jet at the Dubai Air Show, killing its pilot. This is the second crash of a Tejas aircraft built by state owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). A Tejas Mk1 aircraft had crashed near Jaisalmer in the western state of Rajasthan during a training sortie in March 2024.
Tejas is India’s only indigenously designed and manufactured supersonic fighter jet to replace Soviet era Mig 21 fighters. India’s ministry of defence has ordered nearly 200 Tejas fighters from the HAL to equip Indian Air Force with a domestically built fighter jet.
“IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief,” IAF said in a statement.
IAF has also ordered a Court of Inquiry to ascertain the cause of the accident. However, the force has not yet made public the identity of the pilot killed in the crash.
Organizers of Dubai Air Show also confirmed that an Indian Air Force Tejas crashed during the display.
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Visuals shared on social media showed that the aircraft nosedived to the land at the air show. It appeared that the pilot could not eject from the ill-fated aircraft.
According to local media reports, India’s Light Combat Aircraft crashed around 2.10 pm Friday.
An IAF contingent comprising the Suryakiran aerobatic team and three LCA Tejas aircraft had travelled to Dubai for participation in the air show.
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India’s Light Combat Aircraft LCA Tejas.
IAF has been sending Tejas to foreign air shows and defence exhibitions to garner interest of foreign buyers in the domestically built aircraft.
The IAF operates two squadrons of the Tejas Mk1, one each at Naliya in Gujarat near western border with Pakistan and Sulur near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu in South India.
