Indian Tejas fighter jet crashes at Dubai Airshow, pilot killed; IAF confirms

An Indian Tejas fighter jet crashed during a demonstration at the Dubai Airshow, killing the pilot in the second known crash of the aircraft within a year.

During a demonstration flight for a crowd, the Indian HAL Tejas jet crashed at around 2:10 p.m. local time on Friday.

Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport was hosting the biennial Dubai Air Show, featuring over 200 aircraft this year. 

The Indian Air Force (IAF) confirmed the crash, revealing the pilot had died. The statement by the IAF reads, “IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief.”

They added, “A court of inquiry is being constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident.”

Audience watched in disbelief as black smoke rose after the crash.

Dubai Media Office, the official X account of the Government of Dubai, shared an update, writing, "A Tejas fighter aircraft from India participating in today’s flying display at the Dubai Airshow has crashed, resulting in the tragic death of the pilot." 

Dubai government further said that Firefighting and emergency teams responded rapidly to the incident and were managing the situation on-site.

The air show resumed flight demonstrations about an half and a hour afterward, with the Russian Knights flying overhead as emergency crews still worked the crash site.

The Tejas, a 4.5-generation multirole fighter jet developed over 30 years, is one of the foundations of the Indian defence program, Make in India.

The incident comes just days after the indigenous Indian-made jet, developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, faced online ridicule after it started leaking fuel at the same event. 

The viral video showed a clear liquid dripping slowly from the bottom of a parked Tejas aircraft onto the ground below.

However, the claim was immediately rejected by India’s Press Information Bureau who called the claims “false” adding that it was just an attempt to undermine the fighter’s proven technical reliability with baseless propaganda.

It remains unclear if the same jet crashed on Friday.