This is the third accident involving the Tejas fighter jet, hailed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “India’s pride”, since its induction in 2016. ADVERTISEMENTThe latest crash of a Tejas LCA Mk-1 comes at a time when the IAF is preparing to induct its advanced variant (Mk-1A). In November last year, an IAF pilot was killed after a Tejas fighter jet nosedived and crashed during one of the world’s largest aviation exhibitions in Dubai. A single-engine Tejas jet had crashed near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan in March 2024. Sources said the IAF inducted its first Tejas aircraft in 2016 and currently operates two Mk-1 squadrons (each comprising 16-18 aircraft).

Source: The Telegraph February 23, 2026 01:55 UTC