A MiG-29 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force crashed in a field near Uttar Pradesh's Agra on Monday during a routine training sortie after it encountered a 'system malfunction', officials said.
A senior IAF official said a Court of Inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
The Indian Air Force is set to retire its fleet of MiG-21 fighter jets at a decommissioning event in Chandigarh. The event will mark the end of an era for the aircraft that has been a key part of the IAF's combat fleet for over six decades.
The Indian Embassy in Beijing has warned China's state-run tabloid Global Times to verify information before spreading it on social media. The embassy accused the publication of spreading disinformation about Indian military strikes on Pakistan's terror infrastructure. The embassy's statement comes after the Global Times published articles based on Pakistan Air Force claims about the strikes, which were later debunked by Indian authorities.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari following the crash.
The slippage in the delivery schedule for the LCA Mk-1A variant of the jet had become a major issue with Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A P Singh raising the matter publicly.
The Indian Air Force conducted its de-induction ceremony of the MiG-27 aircraft, one of the most prominent fighter jets that have several glorious records to its name. The ceremony took place at the Air Force Station, Jodhpur. The jet has earned the moniker 'Bahadur' from IAF pilots for the lethal role it had played during the 1999 Kargil War.
The pilot killed in action was Wing Commander Harshit Sinha, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said.
An IAF spokesperson said the MiG-29 aircraft was on a training mission. "The aircraft had developed a technical snag and the pilot ejected safely as he was unable to control the aircraft," he said.
The MiG 27 UPG jet took off from Utarlai airforce base and the jet experienced engine problems leading to the crash around 11:45 am in Sirohi district about 120 km south of Jodhpur, they said, adding that the pilot ejected safely.
A MiG-27 aircraft of the Indian Air Force on Monday crashed in a residential area of the city, with the pilot ejecting safely.
Deputy Commissioner, Jodhpur, Amandeep Singh said no loss of life has been reported in the crash.
The aircraft had taken off from the Srinagar airfield and was on a "routine" training sortie.
A MiG-27 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed within two minutes of taking off in Rajasthan's Barmer district, but the pilot bailed out safely.
A MiG-21 Bison aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed during a routine sortie near the Naliya Airbase in Kutch on Saturday, with the pilot ejecting safely. The fighter plane crash-landed 30 kilometres from the air base in an open forest area, IAF officials said. There were no casualties in the mishap.
In the course of modernisation, the Indian fighters will be equipped with new Zhuk-ME radars capable of engaging several targets simultaneously.
The IAF fighter strength would plunge to an all-time low of 29 squadrons by 2007 as more and more of the ageing MiG-21, the IAF's mainstay, are phased out.
The Chinese fighter aircraft activities took place from its bases including the Hotan, Gar Gunsa and Kashgar airfields which have been upgraded recently to enable operations by all types of fighters along with concrete structures to hide away the presence of the number of fighters present at its different airbases, the sources said.
The MiG-21 'Type-96' aircraft was on a routine sortie and crashed near the airfield, which is about 15 km from Bikaner city.
The Indian Air Force carried out intensive night operations involving its fighter aircraft including the MiG-29 and Sukhoi-30MKI along with its Apache attack helicopters and the Chinook heavy-lift helicopters.
This is the ninth IAF Aircraft crash since January this year. "The aircraft was on a routine training sortie from the Hashimara airbase and crashed at around 1310 hours, nearly 15 kilometres from its take off base near New Jalpaiguri," IAF officials said.
IAF conducts the air show, Srinagar and the government is part of the ongoing 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations
A proposal for new Air Force Aerospace Museum was cleared by defence ministry and a final financial sanction on the Detailed Project Report is awaited.
IAF officers say they are keen to serve justice quickly and make an example of those found guilty of operational lapses.
Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria's plan includes building 83 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft in quick time to fill the light fighter vacancies left by the retirement of MiG-21 and MiG-27 fighters.
'During the aerial engagement, one MiG 21 Bison of the IAF shot down an F-16 in Nowshera sector,' the IAF said in a statement.
The Indian Air Force on Monday reiterated that it shot down an F-16 jet of Pakistan Air Force during the February 27 aerial combat and showed radar images of the engagement to assert that it has 'irrefutable evidence' of downing the enemy jet.
Group Captain Murli Menon (retd) reveals how India can neutralise the Pakistan air force's combat capabilities without firing a shot.
A realistic assessment will tell us that not much has changed between India and Pakistan; the relationship remains as fraught as before with little prospect of reconciliation, notes Ajai Shukla.
'Wing Commander Abhinandan would not have even worried if he was going to cross the LoC or not because he was not going to let go of a shot.'
'One of the things that gives a downed pilot strength is the knowledge and confidence that his government will do everything in its power and more to get him back.'
One can only imagine how it is at the receiving end of the bomb. The sound is deafening, splinters and rocks fly like missiles and the blast sucks in the air around asphyxiating everyone. The shock waves can be felt for miles around.
The 1971 war reaffirmed the importance of inspirational senior leadership in battle and heralded the emergence of a new fighting class amongst officers and men of India's armed forces.
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