DUBAI / NEW DELHI: An Indian fighter aircraft, the indigenously developed Tejas, crashed during a demonstration flight at the Dubai Air Show on Friday, sending up a fireball and thick black smoke moments after impact.
In a post on X, the Indian Air Force (IAF) confirmed that the pilot was killed in the incident. The crash marks yet another fatal accident involving an IAF combat aircraft in recent years.
The Tejas is India’s indigenously developed, single-engine light combat aircraft, designed by HAL and DRDO. Classified as an LCA, it serves as a lightweight multirole fighter built for air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.
The incident has also raised fresh questions about the aircraft’s performance and the Indian Air Force’s safety protocols. The incident also marks a major setback, as Tejas was showcased in Dubai as part of India’s defence outreach and export promotion campaign.
The HAL Tejas is India’s home-grown light combat aircraft, designed for air-to-air combat and ground attack roles. The aircraft is equipped with an advanced ejection system and modern avionics. The incident is among the most high-profile accidents involving the LCA during an international demonstration.
Below is a list of major IAF aircraft crashes reported over the past five years:
2020
February 23: MiG-29K
A MiG-29K crashed off the coast of Goa during a routine training sortie, The Times of India reported, quoting an Indian Navy spokesperson.
2021
March 17: MiG-21 Bison
A MiG-21 Bison crashed in central India, killing Group Captain A. Gupta.
The pilot had taken off on a combat training mission before the fatal accident occurred.
The IAF said a court of inquiry had been established to determine the cause.
2022
July 29: MiG-21 Bison
Two pilots — Wing Commander M. Rana and Flight Lieutenant Adivitiya Bal — were killed when a MiG-21 crashed during a training sortie in Rajasthan.
The IAF said the aircraft “met with an accident” and ordered an investigation.
2023
January 29: Sukhoi Su-30 and Mirage 2000
Two IAF jets — a Russian-made Su-30 and a French-built Mirage 2000 — crashed during exercises near Gwalior in an apparent mid-air collision.
One pilot was killed and two others were injured. Both aircraft had taken off from the Gwalior Air Base.
May 8: MiG-21 Bison
A MiG-21 suffered an “onboard emergency” shortly after take-off near Rajasthan’s Suratgarh area and crashed into a house, killing three people on the ground.
The pilot ejected safely.
2024
March 12: HAL Tejas
A domestically manufactured Tejas fighter of the Indian Air Force crashed in Rajasthan — the first such incident since the aircraft was inducted into service.
November 4: MiG-29
A MiG-29 crashed near Agra during a routine training sortie due to a “system malfunction,” the IAF said on X.
The pilot ejected safely, and an inquiry was ordered to establish the cause.
2025
July 9: SEPECAT Jaguar
Two IAF pilots were killed when a Jaguar fighter jet crashed near a village in Rajasthan’s Churu district.
The British-French-designed aircraft went down at around 1:25 p.m., according to local police quoted by Press Trust of India.
