NEW DELHI: An Indian Air Force (IAF) LCA Tejas fighter jet crashed during demonstrations at the Dubai Airshow 2025 on Friday, resulting in the death of the pilot, the IAF said in a statement.
The HAL-manufactured aircraft nosedived during an aerial display and crashed in front of a large audience.
“An IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at the Dubai Air Show today. The pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident,” the official IAF statement read.
The Indian Air Force said that it deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief.
Furthermore, the IAF said that a court of inquiry is being constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident.
The crash happened on the last day of the Dubai Airshow 2025. Videos circulating on social media showed a plane crashing at Al Maktoum International Airport and a subsequent ball of fire and smoke.
The Dubai Airshow 2025 started on November 17 and was set to conclude today.
This is the second such crash involving Tejas aircraft in less than two years. Earlier, the aircraft had crashed near Jaisalmer in 2024.
The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas is an Indian single-engine, fourth-generation, multirole light fighter jet. It was designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in collaboration with Aircraft Research and Design Centre (ARDC) of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.
The LCA tested its maiden flight in 2001 and was officially named “Tejas” in 2003.
Tejas is considered to be the lightest multi-role supersonic aircraft of its class and can travel at a maximum speed of 2,205 km/hr for FOC version and 2,000 km/hr for IOC version.
The aircraft is capable of flying non-stop to destinations over 1700 km away with up to 500 km of Radius of Action.
Agencies