3 IAF Jaguar fighter jet crashes in six months. How these accidents happened

On Wednesday, a Jaguar aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Rajasthan's Churu district. While details of how the crash happened are yet to be known, reports have revealed that the aircraft crashed in an agricultural field in Bhanoda village in the district around 1.25 pm. This is the third incident involving a Jaguar fighter jet of the IAF.

 

SEPECAT (Societe Europeenne de Production de l’avion Ecole de Combat et d’Appui Tactique) Jaguar is a British-French supersonic jet attack aircraft which has been part of the IAF since the 1970s. The result of a joint venture between Breguet Aviation (France) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) (United Kingdom), the aircraft was exported to several countries, including India, Oman, Ecuador, and Nigeria. However, currently, India is the only country that is still operating Jaguar fighter jets in active service.

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The ageing Jaguar fleet of the IAF was involved in three accidents this year, including the crash in Rajasthan on Wednesday. While investigations into the earlier crashes are ongoing, technical faults and system malfunctions have been cited as likely causes in the two accidents that happened earlier this year.

 

Crash in Gujarat 

 

On April 2, an IAF Jaguar fighter jet crashed at a village near Jamnagar IAF station in Gujarat while on a training mission.  One of the pilots, Flight Lieutenant Siddharth Yadav, died after ensuring his co-pilot ejected safely. 

 

The jet crashed at around 9.30 pm at an open field in Suvarda village, 12 km from Jamnagar city, and caught fire.

 

An IAF Jaguar two-seater aircraft airborne from Jamnagar airfield crashed during a night mission, the IAF had said and added that the pilots faced a technical malfunction and initiated ejection, avoiding harm to the airfield and local population.

 

"Unfortunately, one pilot succumbed to his injuries, while the other is receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Jamnagar. The IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family. A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident," IAF had said.

 

Crash in Chandigarh

 

In March, another Jaguar fighter jet crashed shortly after taking off from the Ambala airbase in Haryana. The incident happened on March 7 during a routine training sortie after the pilot encountered a system malfunction.

 

The pilot manoeuvred the aircraft away from any habitation on the ground before ejecting safely. Following the crash, an inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.

 

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