Tejas Jet crash at Dubai Air Show: A Tejas fighter jet from the Indian Air Force crashed during an aerobatic show at the Dubai Airshow on Friday. The jet went down at 2:10 pm local time while it was doing a mid-air move on the last day of the event. The single-engine plane hit the ground and burst into flames.
Emergency workers hurried to the crash spot right away. The Indian Air Force later said on X that the pilot died in the crash, and it offered condolences to the family. The IAF also said it will start a full inquiry to find out why the accident happened.
Tejas fighter jet crashes during a demonstration at the Dubai Air Show
The Tejas jets were in Dubai for the airshow that ran from November 17 to 21. Some people online recently claimed that a fuel tank on one of the jets was leaking. The Indian government’s PIB Fact Check team rejected that claim and said the liquid in the videos came from the jet’s Environmental Control System and Onboard Oxygen Generating System. They said that this was normal and only contaminated water.
India’s First Home-Made Fighter
Tejas is a light single-engine jet, and over 50% of its parts come from inside the country. The IAF added the aircraft into its active fleet by 2024. Experts say the jet uses an Indian-made radar. They also say it can move very quickly and the engine works well. The jet is a multirole fighter, so it can do many different missions. It can carry around eight to nine tonnes of payload and can fly as fast as 1.6–1.8 times the speed of sound. It can also reach altitudes close to 52,000 feet, reported Hindustan Times.
India’s Ministry of Defence said it placed an order for 83 Light Combat Aircraft worth about $5.48 billion. Defence writer Ajai Shukla said that the number of Indian parts in the jet may rise to 60% as production keeps going.
The Tejas also comes with the newest AESA radar. This radar can find missiles from beyond what the pilot can see and gives what officials call “critical operational capability.”
Radar Tricks
The jet holds an electronic warfare suite and can take fuel in the air, so it can attack enemy aircraft from far away. Experts say it has tools that help it confuse enemy radar. Even though Tejas is small, it can carry weapons like bigger jets such as the Sukhoi.
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Ajai Shukla said the Tejas Mark 1A model costs around INR550 crore or about US$ 66 million. He also said this is about INR120 crore more than a Sukhoi-30 MKI. Retired Wing Commander KT Sebastian explained the higher price and said, “It is fitted with an indigenous radar, it is lighter, and it has improved engine performance. It is a true multirole fighter.” Former Air Marshal Barbora said the Tejas is good but still not as strong as the Sukhoi or Rafale in range, endurance and how much it can carry.
Retired Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur said the Tejas programme started in 1983 and had a cost estimate of only INR560 crore at that time.
