An MiG-29 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed 117 km away from Lahore earlier today, during a rehearsal session.
The pilot ejected and has been reported to come out of it safe. IAF’s first responding teams have taken the pilot away in a rescue helicopter. There have been no updates about the reason for the crash by the IAF as of now.
The IAF said, in an official statement, “The aircraft had developed a technical snag and the pilot ejected safely as he was unable to control the aircraft. The pilot has been rescued by a helicopter. A court of inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the accident.
The fighter jet took off from Adampur Air Force Station near Jalandhar, India’s second-biggest military airbase that is located 100 km away from the Pakistan border. The MiG-29 fighter jet crashed 25 km away from the airbase in the city of Hoshiarpur, kilometers away from the Pakistan border near Lahore.
MiG-29 is a Soviet-era fighter jet that the Indian army used during the Kargil war in 1999. IAF operates more than 60 MiG-29 fighter jets. All of them are equipped with advanced avionics and ammunition that can successfully engage air-to-air and air-to-ground targets.
On 27 February last year, Pakistan shot down Indian MiG-21 fighter jet, capturing Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman after an aerial dogfight. Pakistan carried out the retaliatory attack across the LOC after India’s botched Balakot airstrike a day earlier.
After just 60 hours in captivity, the Indian pilot was released and repatriated because of the goodwill gesture of Prime Minister Imran Khan to ease cross border tensions.
The pilot ejected and has been reported to come out of it safe. IAF’s first responding teams have taken the pilot away in a rescue helicopter. There have been no updates about the reason for the crash by the IAF as of now.
The IAF said, in an official statement, “The aircraft had developed a technical snag and the pilot ejected safely as he was unable to control the aircraft. The pilot has been rescued by a helicopter. A court of inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the accident.
The fighter jet took off from Adampur Air Force Station near Jalandhar, India’s second-biggest military airbase that is located 100 km away from the Pakistan border. The MiG-29 fighter jet crashed 25 km away from the airbase in the city of Hoshiarpur, kilometers away from the Pakistan border near Lahore.
MiG-29 is a Soviet-era fighter jet that the Indian army used during the Kargil war in 1999. IAF operates more than 60 MiG-29 fighter jets. All of them are equipped with advanced avionics and ammunition that can successfully engage air-to-air and air-to-ground targets.
On 27 February last year, Pakistan shot down Indian MiG-21 fighter jet, capturing Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman after an aerial dogfight. Pakistan carried out the retaliatory attack across the LOC after India’s botched Balakot airstrike a day earlier.
After just 60 hours in captivity, the Indian pilot was released and repatriated because of the goodwill gesture of Prime Minister Imran Khan to ease cross border tensions.