Military pilot killed at Dubai Airshow

A pilot has been killed in a plane crash during a demonstration at the Dubai Air Show. An Indian home-produced Tejas fighter jet crashed at the Dubai Air Show during an aerial display on Friday, killing its pilot, the Indian Air Force said.

The fighter was flying at a low altitude at around 2:15 p.m. (1015 GMT) before coming down in a ball of fire, according to a witness. Footage on social media showed thick black smoke rising behind a fenced airstrip.

The homegrown jet, whose name means "brilliance" in Sanskrit, is seen as crucial for India's efforts to modernise its air force fleet of mainly Russian and ex-Soviet fighters.

The crash happened during the last day of the airshow, the Middle East's largest aviation event, which started on Monday. Flying had resumed later on Friday, witnesses said, with jets back in the sky above the show site. 

GE said in a statement it was ready to support the investigation. Dubai's government said emergency teams were managing the situation on-site. First manufactured in 2001 but dating back to studies first carried out two decades earlier, the Tejas was designed as a light combat jet to replace India's fleet of Russian MiG-21s.

The IAF expects to operate a fleet of almost 220 Tejas fighters and its advanced Mk-1A variants over the next decade after HAL completes the pending orders.

It was the second known crash of the single-engine 4.5-generation fighter jet, which is built by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and powered by General Electric engines. The first crash was during an exercise in India in 2024.

(The HAL Tejas, meaning “Radiant,” is an Indian single-engine, 4.5-generation, delta-wing, multirole combat jet developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for both the Indian Air Force and Navy. It made its first flight in 2001 and joined IAF service in 2015. Among supersonic fighters of its class, it’s the smallest and lightest.)

Aircraft Information:

Owner/Operator: Indian Airforce
Aircraft: HAL Tejas LCA Mk 1
Registration: LA-5026
Serial Number: SP-30
Engines: General Electric F414 INS6
First Flew: 2017
Age: 8 years

Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the pilot’s family, friends, and all members of the IAF.