Tejas, an Indian Air Force aircraft, crashed on the grounds of a student hostel in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, during a training flight for the first time since its acquisition in 2016.
The pilot evacuated safely and there have been no reports of injuries on the ground.
This is the first accident for the fighter jet since its initial test flight in 2001. Notably, the Indian Air Force acquired it in 2016.
The plane crashed on the grounds of the student hostel, which is near Lakshmi Chand Sanwal Colony in Jaisalmer, around 2 pm. According to the Indian Air Force (IAF), the pilot was able to eject successfully and an investigation into the event was requested.
“A Tejas aircraft of the Indian Air Force met with an accident in Jaisalmer today during an operational training sortie. The pilot ejected safely. A court of inquiry has been constituted to find out the cause of the accident,” the IAF said .
After the accident, the plane also caught fire, which has now been extinguished. The plane's involvement in the war activities taking place in Rajasthan is still unknown.
“I was close. The pilot of the plane ejected and I saw an open parachute. The plane crashed to the ground and there was a loud explosion,” said a witness at the scene.
The Indian Navy flies single-seat Tejas fighter aircraft, which is also flown by the IAF in the form of a two-seat training version. On March 22, 2016, the serial production version (SP2) of the Tejas aircraft with the Initial Operational Clearance Configuration (IOC) took its maiden flight. While the Technology Demonstrator-1 (TD-1) made its first test flight in 2001.
Additionally, the Tejas, a multi-role combat aircraft belonging to the 4.5 generation light combat aircraft family, is capable of providing close combat and offensive air support to ground operations.
Tejas is the lightest and most compact aircraft in its class due to its small size and heavy reliance on composite materials.
The “Flying Daggers”, also known as No 45 Squadron, were the first IAF Squadron to take delivery of the Tejas aircraft in 2016. No 18 Squadron became the second IAF unit to fly the Tejas in 2020.
In addition to the 40 Tejas MK-1 aircraft already flying, the Indian Air Force is expected to receive 83 additional Tejas MK-1A fighters as part of a contract worth over Rs 36,000 crore.
