NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) said on Friday that a fighter jet on a training mission crashed in the northeastern Indian state of Assam.
“The Su-30MKI which was on a training mission crashed in the area of Karbi Anglong, Assam, approximately 60 km from Jorhat,” the IAF said in a statement on X.
The Su-30MKI which was on a training mission, crashed in the area of Karbi Anglong, Assam, approx 60 km from Jorhat. Search operations are underway.@DefenceMinIndia@SpokespersonMoD@HQ_IDS_India@adgpi@indiannavy https://t.co/64Ii5V2fiZ
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) March 5, 2026
The air force added that search operations are currently underway in the area.
Earlier, the IAF reported that the aircraft had failed to return or establish contact at its expected time after taking off from Assam on Thursday evening.
“An IAF Su-30MKI is reported overdue. The aircraft had taken off from Jorhat, Assam, and was last in contact at 7:42 pm. Further details are being ascertained. A search and rescue mission has been initiated,” the air force said in an earlier post.
The aircraft had departed from Jorhat at 7:42 pm local time (1412 GMT) before contact was lost.
The Indian Air Force has experienced several aircraft incidents in recent months.
The latest crash comes about 10 days after the air force lost a Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Tejas light combat aircraft when it overshot the runway at a frontline airbase, causing major damage to its airframe.
Previously, in November last year, another Tejas aircraft crashed during a demonstration flight at the Dubai Air Show.
A large fireball was seen immediately after the aircraft struck the ground, with thick black smoke rising from the crash site. The pilot involved in that incident lost his life.
