Pilots Killed In Jaguar Crash: Squadron Leader, 44, Young Flight Lieutenant
The two Indian Air Force pilots killed in the Jaguar fighter bomber crash in Rajasthan's Churu district yesterday have been identified as Squadron Leader Lokendra Singh Sindhu, 44, and Flight Lieutenant Rishi Raj Singh, 23. While Squadron Leader Sindhu was from Haryana's Rohtak, Lieutenant Singh was from Pali In Rajasthan.
The twin-seater fighter jet went down yesterday afternoon near Bhanoda village in Churu district while the pilots were on a routine training mission. The Air Force yesterday announced that an inquiry has been ordered to find out what led to the crash.
"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. No damage to any civil property has been reported. IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families in this time of grief. A court of inquiry has been constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident," the IAF said in a statement.
This is the third Jaguar fighter jet to crash this year: the first was in Haryana's Panchkula on March 7 and the second near Jamnagar in Gujarat on April 2.
The Jaguar fighter used by the IAF is vintage and has been heavily upgraded over the years. India currently has about 120 such fighter jets in operation and these are spread across six squadrons.
Yesterday's crash has once again put the spotlight on how safe these Jaguar fighters are. Inducted into the Air Force in 1979, most of these are built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited under a transfer of technology from SEPECAT, a joint venture between France's Breguet and the British Aircraft Corporation.
The Indian Air Force is now the only operator of these low-flying fighter bombers. Countries like Britain, France, Ecuador, Nigeria and Oman, which once had Jaguars in their fleet, have retired them long ago. The IAF, too, is expected to start phasing out the older Jaguar models, but delays in the delivery of the HAL Tejas Mk2, Rafale, and Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft have left it with little choice but to continue with the Jaguars.
Enquiries into the earlier crashes involving Jaguars have pointed to engine failure, underlining the fact that it is time they are phased out.
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