Indian Fighter Jet Crash During Training Kills Two
News Desk
Assam: Two pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were killed after a fighter aircraft crashed during a training sortie in India’s northeastern state of Assam, according to local media reports and officials.
The IAF confirmed on Friday that a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet went down in the Karbi Anglong district, about 60 kilometres from Jorhat, after losing contact with ground control shortly after takeoff.
In a statement posted on X, the Indian Air Force said the aircraft had taken off from the Jorhat airbase for a routine training mission when communication with the jet was lost at around 7:42pm.
“The Su-30MKI, which was on a training mission, crashed in the area of Karbi Anglong, Assam, approximately 60 km from Jorhat,” the air force said.
The aircraft reportedly crashed in a remote hilly area, making rescue and recovery operations difficult. Local residents said they heard a loud explosion and later saw flames rising from a nearby hill.
The IAF identified the deceased pilots as Squadron Leader Anuj and Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar. The force expressed condolences to their families, saying all personnel stand with them in this time of grief.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said he was “deeply saddened” by the tragic loss of the two pilots and paid tribute to their service.
The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a twin-engine, two-seat multirole fighter developed by Russia’s Sukhoi and produced in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited under licence. The aircraft has been a key part of India’s air combat fleet since its induction in the late 1990s.
The Indian Air Force currently operates more than 260 of these fighter jets, making it one of the backbone platforms of its aerial combat capability.
However, similar incidents involving the aircraft have been reported in recent years.
A Su-30 fighter jet crashed in Nashik in June 2024, while another went down near Gwalior in January 2023 shortly after takeoff. An investigation into the latest crash is expected to determine the cause of the accident. Input from Reuters news agency.
