Churu: A Jaguar fighter jet crashed on Wednesday during training in Rajasthan's Churu district, killing two pilots, said the Indian Air Force. The incident marks a tragic occurrence in the region as the aircraft went down in an agricultural field in Bhanoda village around 1:25 pm local time after taking off from the Suratgarh airbase.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the Indian Air Force revealed in a statement on X, "An IAF Jaguar Trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan, today. Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident." This unfortunate event has added to the series of Jaguar jet incidents, marking the third such crash this year.
The Jaguar, a twin-engine, Anglo-French military aircraft, has faced previous mishaps this year, with a crash in Gujarat in April claiming the life of a pilot, and another incident in Haryana in March. These incidents have raised concerns about the safety and operational status of the Jaguar fleet within the Indian Air Force.