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Two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots were killed when a Jaguar trainer aircraft crashed near Churu in Rajasthan on Wednesday — the third Jaguar fighter jet crash since March this year.
In a statement, the IAF said the aircraft was on a routine training mission when it met with the accident. “Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident. No damage to any civil property has been reported,” it said in the statement posted on X, adding that a court of inquiry would ascertain the cause.
The pilots were identified as Squadron Leader Lokender and Flight Lieutenant Rishi Raj Singh.
Churu Superintendent of Police Jai Yadav said the jet crashed at around 12.30 pm, near Bhavana Badavane village in the district. Local sources said the aircraft was flying at a low level when it crashed.
Defence officials said low-level sorties — where an aircraft flies at a height of 150 metres from the ground or less — are especially challenging, as the jets are more prone to bird hits or unmarked obstructions like mobile towers or windmills.
This is the third Jaguar fighter jet crash since March.
On March 7, a jet crashed near Panchkula, shortly after taking off from the Ambala air base in Haryana. The pilot managed to eject safely.
On April 2, a pilot was killed and another sustained serious injuries when a jet crashed near Jamnagar in Gujarat.
One of the oldest fighter jets in the IAF inventory, the Anglo-French origin aircraft is a twin-engine, single-seater deep-penetration strike aircraft, with a maximum speed of 1,350 kmph.
The first Jaguars were inducted on July 26, 1979 in the 14 Squadron, ‘The Fighting Bulls’, at the Ambala air base. Currently, the IAF operates six squadrons of the Jaguar.
In 2010, the IAF had planned to undertake engine upgrades for its Jaguar fleet. The plans, however, had to be shelved due to the high cost quoted by Honeywell and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, which integrates the aircraft. They continue to be powered by the legacy Adour Mk 811 engines.
The Jaguars, however, have been upgrading the avionics to extend their service life. The latest DARIN III avionics upgrade is aimed at improving the aircraft’s navigation and mission capabilities. The upgrade process has been underway.
But, despite the avionics upgrades, the jets have an old airframe and operate on legacy engines. The IAF plans to gradually phase out the ageing aircraft by 2035, starting with the later half of this decade, as it looks to induct modern aircraft including the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas and the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.
Countries like France, the UK, Nigeria and Oman have already discontinued the aircraft.
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