An Indian Air Force (IAF) Jaguar fighter jet crashed on Wednesday afternoon in Rajasthan’s Churu district, killing the pilot and sparking panic among villagers.
The incident occurred around 12:40 p.m. local time near Bhanuda village. Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud explosion and seeing a thick cloud of smoke rise into the sky. Initially, many residents feared a missile strike on the area.
“We heard a massive blast and thought the village was under attack,” one villager told local reporters. “Later, we saw that it was an aircraft crash.”
Another eyewitness said the aircraft appeared to lose control before it slammed into the ground. “The jet broke into small pieces and caught fire immediately,” the villager said.
Indian Air Force officials have not yet issued a detailed statement on the cause of the crash but confirmed that the pilot did not survive. Rescue teams and IAF personnel were quickly dispatched to secure the crash site and begin recovery operations.
The SEPECAT Jaguar is a British-French supersonic jet attack aircraft, designed in the 1960s and introduced into service in the 1970s. India remains the only active operator of the Jaguar, with approximately 110 aircraft distributed across six squadrons. The IAF has relied on the Jaguar for deep strike and ground attack missions for decades, but the fleet is aging, and plans are underway to phase out the jets beginning in 2027-28.
Aviation experts have long expressed concern about India’s ability to sustain its Jaguar fleet, given the challenges of maintaining and upgrading older airframes. Despite periodic modernization efforts, including avionics and engine upgrades, questions remain about the aircraft’s safety record.
The crash comes at a time when the Indian military is pushing forward with its modernization plans, seeking to replace legacy platforms with new generation fighters. However, the process of inducting replacement aircraft has faced delays, forcing the IAF to extend the operational life of its Jaguars and other older jets.
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