An Air Force pilot was Thursday killed when a Jaguar fighter aircraft blew up mid-air while taking part in a live air-to-ground firing excercise in Pokharan range in Rajashthan's Jaisalmer district.

Flying Lieutenant S Rao was killed when the aircraft disintegrated mid-air apparently while off-loading its armaments during the exercise, IAF sources said. According to an Air Force spokesman, the fighter aircraft got airborne from the Naal airbase near Bikaner at 1640 hours on a live firing mission and crashed between Delasar and Dhaysar villages, about 55 kms from Jaisalmer, minutes later.

This is the first crash involving an IAF aircraft this year. Thirteen Air Force planes have crashed during the last two years including two Jaguars killing at least 10 pilots. The deep-penetration Jaguar aircraft were inducted in late 1970s and had recently undergone a major upgradation of its engines, radars and avionics.

Besides, the air force, the planes are also being used to carry out maritime operations. The debris of the fighter plane, which got blown into pieces, was spread over large sections of sand dunes between the two villages. The body of the pilot has been located, a police officer said. A court of inquiry has been ordered to find out the cause of the accident.