Staff Correspondent
The MiG 27 UPG aircraft of the Indian Air Force from the Uttarlai Air Force base near Jodhpur, crashed after experiencing engine problems in Sirohi, about 120 km South of Jodhpur on Sunday around 11:45 am. The pilot fortunately managed to eject safely, with no loss of property or life on the ground. This is apparently the ninth IAF air crash since the beginning of this year and the third IAF crash in Jodhpur since last year.
The IAF has ordered a Court of Inquiry (CoI) on the incident. On February 19, two BAE Hawk jets, of the IAF’s Suryakiran aerobatic team, collided mid-air over the skies of Bengaluru in preparation for the Aero India 2019 and crashed killing two pilots. Before that, a Mirage 2000 that was upgraded by the HAL and being tested by the IAF, crashed while taking off at the HAL air base, killing both pilots. Again on March 8, a MiG-21 Bison had also crashed in Rajasthan.
The most controversial is the crash of the Mi-17 V5 of the IAF in J&K’s Budgam on February 27 during the aerial fight between the Pakistan and Indian Air Forces that killed seven people including four IAF personnel. A preliminary probe has now revealed it to be a possible friendly fire incident after a link has been established between an air-to-ground missile launch by the Indian military.