Indian Air Force fighter jet crashes in Rajasthan; third incident involving Jaguar aircraft this year

A Jaguar fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed near Churu district of Rajasthan on Wednesday. This is the third incident involving Jaguar—a British-French ground attack aircraft that has been a key part of the Indian Air Force (IAF) since the late 1970s—this year.

The incident took place near Banoda village in Churu at around 1.25 pm.

Locals heard a loud noise followed by flames in the sky.

Media reports suggest that the IAF pilot's body was recovered near the wreckage of the aircraft. 

Rescue teams and authorities have rushed to the location. 

The aircraft crashed in an agriculture field in Bhanoda village around 1.25 pm, SHO Rajaldesar Kamlessh said, reports news agency PTI. He said human body parts were found near the crash site.

According to news agency ANI, the twin seater aircraft had taken off from Suratgarh Air Force Station in Rajasthan.

A few months ago, in April, a Jaguar twin-seater crashed near Jamnagar, Gujarat, during a night training mission. The crash resulted in the death of Flight Lieutenant Siddharth Yadav. "An IAF Jaguar two seater aircraft airborne from Jamnagar airfield crashed during a night mission. The pilots faced a technical malfunction and initiated ejection, avoiding harm to the airfield and local population," the IAF had then said.

In March, a Jaguar fighter crashed shortly after taking off from the Ambala airbase in Haryana. "A Jaguar aircraft of the IAF crashed at Ambala, during a routine training sortie today, after encountering system malfunction. The pilot manoeuvred the aircraft away from any habitation on the ground before ejecting safely," the IAF said in a brief statement.

It is to be noted that India is currently the only country still operating Jaguar fighter jets in active service.

Defence