A Tejas jet plane crashed on Friday during a demonstration at the Dubai Airshow, prompting black smoke and emergency sirens across the venue.
A video, which is now going viral, showed the aircraft suddenly wobbling mid-air, flipping sharply, and then losing control before bursting into flames on the ground. The city-state’s second airport was hosting the biennial Dubai Air Show. The aircraft, a single-seat Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), was developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
“An IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at the Dubai Air Show today. The pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident. Indian Air Force deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief. A court of inquiry is being constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident,” a statement by Indian Air Force read.
The incident marks the second crash involving a Tejas aircraft in less than two years. In March 2024, a Tejas fighter went down in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer. It was the first such accident in the aircraft's 23-year history since its maiden test flight in 2001.
The first Tejas crash occurred just minutes after the single-engine fighter jet had taken part in a tri-services exercise. The pilot managed to eject safely. However, the aircraft continued flying straight for a short distance before hitting the ground.
Here are five facts about Tejas aircraft.
•Tejas is India’s first home-grown fighter jet with a foreign engine.
•The Tejas has a maximum payload capacity of 4,000 kg, operating as a single-pilot, single-engine aircraft. It operates with a maximum takeoff weight of 13,300 kg
•The Indian Air Force operates the Mk1 variety of the Tejas fighter jet and is waiting on deliveries of the Mk1A variant.
•The LCA Tejas is a 4.5-generation, all-weather, multi-role fighter aircraft which is designed to efficiently handle offensive air missions, replacing the retired MiG-21 fleet, for close combat, and ground attack operations.
•The Tejas made its frontline debut in 2016 when the Indian Air Force’s No. 45 Squadron, known as the Flying Daggers, became the first unit to induct the fighter jet.
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