IAF Tejas Fighter Crashes During Dubai Airshow Display, Pilot Killed
A Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas fighter plane crashed while performing a manoeuvre at the final Dubai air show on Friday afternoon.
The pilot was killed in the accident.
A Court of Inquiry is being constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said on X while confirming the incident.
‘’An IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at Dubai Air Show, today. The pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident. IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief,’’ the IAF said.
Media reports said rescue operations began immediately and the show was temporarily halted.
The Dubai Airshow is one of the largest airshows in the world. It started on November 17 and will conclude on November 24. More than 1,500 exhibitors are participating in the air show.
Tejas is a single-engine, multirole light combat aircraft (LCA) designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.
It is used in air defence and ground-attack missions.
The aircraft made its first flight in 2001 and entered into service with the IAF in 2015. It is the smallest and lightest of the supersonic fighter jets of its generation.
Several reports were circulating about ‘’oil leakage’’ in Tejas Mk1. However, government on November 20 debunked the reports as fake propaganda.
‘’Several propaganda accounts are circulating videos claiming that at the #DubaiAirshow 2025, the Indian LCA #Tejas Mk1 suffered an oil leakage. These claims are #Fake. The videos show routine, intentional draining of condensed water from the aircraft's Environmental Control System (ECS) and On-Board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS). This is a standard procedure for aircraft operating in humid conditions, like those in Dubai. The false narrative is being deliberately pushed by these accounts to undermine the fighter’s proven technical reliability with baseless propaganda,’’ the government had said on X.