IAF Su-30 MKI fighter jet goes missing after Assam take-off

Source: PTI - Edited By: Senjo M R

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March 05, 2026 23:18 IST

An Indian Air Force Su-30 MKI fighter jet has gone missing after taking off from Jorhat, Assam, leading to an immediate search and rescue operation by the IAF

IMAGE: An IAF Sukhoi SU-30 MKI aircraft lands during the airshow at 'Aero India 2025', at Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru, April 14, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo

Key Points

Communication with the Russian-origin aircraft was lost at 7:42 pm, triggering a search and rescue operation.
The IAF operates over 260 Su-30MKI jets, a two-seater multirole long-range fighter jet.
The IAF has launched a search and rescue mission to locate the missing Su-30 MKI fighter jet and its crew.

A Su-30 MKI fighter jet of the Indian Air Force went missing on Thursday shortly after taking off from the Jorhat airbase in Assam, officials said.

Communication with the Russian-origin aircraft was lost at 7:42 pm, they said, adding a search and rescue operation has been launched to locate the jet.

"An IAF Su-30 MKI is reported overdue. The aircraft had taken off from Jorhat, Assam and was last in contact at 7.42 pm," the IAF said on social media.

"Further details are being ascertained. Search and Rescue mission has been initiated," it said.

Su-30MKI is a two-seater multirole long-range fighter jet developed by Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi.

It is now built under licence by HAL for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The IAF operates a fleet of over 260 Su-30MKI jets.

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