A Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet on a training sortie crashed in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district after losing contact with base shortly after takeoff from Jorhat, killing both pilots.
Karbi Anglong: Two pilots of the Indian Air Force were killed after a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet crashed in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district late Thursday night.
The Air Force identified the pilots as Squadron Leader Anuj and Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar. In a post on X, the IAF expressed condolences and said it stood firmly with the bereaved families during the difficult time.
According to officials, the two-seater fighter aircraft was on a routine training mission and went missing soon after taking off from the Jorhat Airbase, located about 60 km from the crash site. Contact with the Russian-origin aircraft was lost at around 7:42 pm.
The jet reportedly went down in a remote hilly area of Karbi Anglong. Local residents said they heard a loud explosion and saw a large ball of fire rising from the hills.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said he was “deeply saddened” by the tragic loss of the two pilots, adding that their courage and service to the nation would always be remembered with pride and gratitude.
The Su-30MKI, developed by Russia’s Sukhoi and manufactured in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, is a twin-seat, long-range fighter aircraft inducted into the IAF in 1997. The Air Force currently operates a fleet of more than 260 such jets.
The crash is the latest in a series of incidents involving the aircraft. A Sukhoi jet crashed in Nashik, Maharashtra, in June 2024, while another went down after taking off from Gwalior Airbase in January 2023.
