New Delhi, July 10: Two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots were killed on Wednesday after a Jaguar fighter jet crashed during a routine training mission in Rajasthan’s Churu district, the third such incident involving the aircraft this year.
The twin-seater Jaguar trainer aircraft had taken off from the IAF’s Suratgarh air base and went down in an agricultural field near Bhanoda village at around 1:25 p.m. local time, the air force said in a statement.
“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,” the IAF posted on X.
Local authorities confirmed the recovery of human remains from the crash site. “We are coordinating with defence officials and rescue teams on site,” said Rajaldesar Station House Officer Kamlesh.
An eyewitness told local media that he saw plumes of smoke rising from the field while sitting nearby and claimed that one of the pilots attempted to steer the aircraft away from the village to avoid civilian harm. “The pilot tried his best to protect the village, I can say it for sure,” he told ANI. A diary believed to belong to the IAF was also reportedly recovered and handed to police.
The IAF said no civilian injuries or property damage had been reported. “IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families in this time of grief,” the statement added. A court of inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of the crash.
This is the third Jaguar crash reported in 2025. In March, a Jaguar jet crashed near Ambala in Haryana during a sortie. The pilot managed to eject safely after diverting the aircraft from populated areas. In April, another twin-seater Jaguar went down near Jamnagar shortly after takeoff during a night mission. One of the pilots, Squadron Leader Siddharth Yadav, succumbed to injuries sustained during ejection, while the second pilot survived.
The Jaguar, a deep-strike aircraft of Anglo-French origin, has been in service with the IAF since the late 1970s and is gradually being phased out.
