Indian Air Force jet crashes in western Rajasthan state

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - A fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, officials said on Tuesday.

"One Tejas aircraft of the Indian Air Force met with an accident at Jaisalmer today during an operational training sortie," the Air Force wrote on X. Tejas is India’s locally built light combat aircraft.

This is the first crash of the Tejas jet since it first flew 23 years ago, local English daily The Hindu said.

“The pilot ejected safely. A court of Inquiry has been constituted to find out the cause of the accident,” it said.

The incident comes amid a tri-services live fire and maneuver exercise in Rajasthan state’s Pokhran area on Tuesday, which was also attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It was not immediately clear whether the crashed aircraft was part of the ongoing exercise.