IAF’s Sukhoi, Mirage fighter jets crash in MP: 1 pilot dead

An Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot lost his life after two fighter jets - Sukhoi-30 and Mirage 2000 – crashed near Madhya Pradesh’s Morea this morning, confirmed IAF.

Defence Sources told news agency ANI that the Su-30 fighter jet had two pilots while Mirage 2000 had one pilot during the crash. The fighter aircrafts were on a routine operational flying training mission when the mishap took place.

“The possible mid-air collision between the two aircraft took place when they were flying a simulated combat mission at very high speeds,” ANI tweeted citing defence sources.

Earlier in the day, two pilots were rescued by the rescue team and an IAF chopper was reaching the location of the third pilot, ANI reported.

The Indian Air Force will establish a court of inquiry to determine if a mid-air collision or any other cause was behind the incident.

Both the aircrafts had taken off from the Gwalior Air Base, where the IAF is conducting an exercise.

Wreckage of jets was also seen in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur. Earlier the district’s District Collector Alok Ranjan said that a charter jet crashed, however defence sources confirmed that the IAF’s fighter jets crashed in the vicinity.

Also Read: IAF’s Sukhoi, Mirage fighter jets crash in MP’s Morena

More details are awaited.