Churu: Two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots died on Wednesday afternoon after a twin-seat Jaguar fighter jet crashed during a routine training sortie near Bhanoda village in Rajasthan’s Churu district. The aircraft had taken off from the Suratgarh Air Force Station and went down at around 1:25 pm.
There was no damage to civilian life or property. The IAF has ordered an inquiry into the crash and expressed deep sorrow over the loss, stating it stands with the families of the deceased pilots.
This is the third Jaguar crash in 2025. Earlier incidents took place on March 7 in Haryana’s Panchkula and April 2 near Jamnagar, Gujarat.
In the April crash, Flight Lieutenant Siddharth Yadav, who was engaged to be married, died while saving his co-pilot after the aircraft experienced a technical malfunction during a night training mission. He ensured his colleague ejected safely before the aircraft went down in an open field.
In the March crash, a Jaguar from Punjab’s Ambala base went down following a systems failure. The pilot safely ejected after steering the jet away from populated areas.
The Jaguar is a twin-engine, ground-attack aircraft used by the IAF in both single and twin-seat configurations. Despite being an ageing platform, the jet continues in service due to extensive upgrades. India currently operates an estimated 120 Jaguars across six squadrons.
