- By Soumyaroop Mukherjee
- Fri, 21 Nov 2025 06:54 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) crashed during a high-speed demonstration at the Dubai Air Show on Friday afternoon, prompting emergency evacuations. Subsequently, the Indian Air Force, in its official X (formerly Twitter), confirmed the death of the pilot.
"An IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at Dubai Air Show, today. The pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident. IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief," a statement by the Indian Air Force said.
It was the second crash for Tejas LCA in the 24 years of its service. Before the Dubai Air Show Crash, the Tejas LCA had crashed in Jaisalmer in March 2024.
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Tejas MK1A: Features That Make It A Skyborne Beast
- Tejas is a single-seater omnirole Generation 4.5 fighter aircraft. However, the Indian Air Force operates a twin-seater trainer variant as well as the Indian Navy.
- The development of the aircraft was done long back under India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme, and the first prototype, Technology Demonstrator-1 (TD-1) took place in 2001, while the maiden flight of the second prototype, Series Production (SP 2), took place on March 22, 2016, after it got Initial Operational Clearance (IOC).
- The fighter aircraft has a maximum payload capacity of around 4,000 kg with a maximum takeoff weight of 13,000 kg.
- The aircraft was first inducted into an IAF squadron in 2016 in Squadron No. 5, nicknamed ‘the Flying Daggers’.
- The Tejas comes equipped with an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar (Israeli Elta EL/M-2052 model), which helps it in superior target tracking and engagement capabilities. Additionally, the new squadron of Tejas comes with the indigenous Uttam AESAars, which are designed indigenously.
- The Omnirole aircraft is powered by the GE F404-GE-IN20 turbofan engine, which is built by the American company General Electric. The engine gives the aircraft a speed of Mach 1.8 and a range of over 3,000 km. It can also perform high-g manoeuvres with vertical takeoffs and landings like a helicopter.
- Additionally, the fighter aircraft comes retrofitted with surface-to-air, air-to-air, precision-guided missiles, along with a 23 mm twin-barrel cannon, making it a deadly bird in the sky.
- Due to its dimensions and extensive use of composite structures, the indigenous fighter jet is the smallest and tightest aircraft in its class.
- Earlier, the Indian government placed orders for 97 LCA Tejas in August, which is anticipated to replace the ageing MiG-21.