2 IAF pilots killed in trainer Jaguar jet crash

 New Delhi: In a tragic incident on Wednesday, two Indian Air Force pilots were killed when their Jaguar trainer aircraft crashed during a routine training mission near Churu in Rajasthan. This is the third Jaguar crash in around five months, raising concerns about the safety of these aircraft. In 2025 alone, three Jaguar crashes have claimed three IAF pilots’ lives.

“An IAF Jaguar trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan today. Both pilots sustained fatal injuries. No damage to any civil property has been reported,” the Indian Air Force said in a statement.

The IAF expressed deep regret over the loss of life and extended its condolences to the pilots’ families. A court of inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident.

The aircraft came down in an agricultural field in Bhanoda village at around 1.25 pm. “I was working in my field when I saw a sudden plume of smoke… parts of the pilot’s body were scattered… We found an IAF diary and handed it to the SHO. The pilot clearly tried to steer the aircraft away from the village,” an eyewitness told a news agency.

On April 3, a two-seater Jaguar crashed near Jamnagar, Gujarat, killing one pilot and critically injuring the other. This was the fifth IAF aircraft crash this year, following a Mirage 2000 fighter jet accident in February and an AN-32 transport aircraft crash in March.

The SEPECAT Jaguar is a twin-engine, single-seat, deep-penetration strike aircraft of Anglo-French origin, inducted into the IAF in July 1979. Facing a shortage of fighter squadrons, the IAF continues to operate these vintage airframes, now upgraded with modern avionics, despite their age. Currently, five to six Jaguar squadrons remain in service, scheduled for retirement around 2032–33.

As neighbouring air forces modernize, China with fifth-generation fighters and Pakistan set to receive its first fifth-generation jets this year, the IAF’s Rafales, procured from France, represent its most advanced 4.5-generation capability.