3 killed as Indian MiG-21 jet crashes in Rajasthan

• IAF says the pilot ejected safely sustaining minor injuries.
• The pilot had reported a technical snag soon after the take-off.
• Police say rescue operation has been launched in the area.

Three civilians were killed on Monday as an Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-21 fighter jet crashed in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan, NDTV reported.

According to reports, the army’s helicopter has reached the accident site for rescue.

Meanwhile, the pilot is safe as he jumped the aircraft in time using a parachute; however, he has sustained minor injuries.

MiG-21 started its journey from the Suratgarh Air Force station and the pilot had reported a technical snag soon after the take-off.

According to the reports, two women were killed after the fighter jet crashed into a house in Bahlol.

“A MiG-21 aircraft of the IAF crashed near Suratgarh during a routine training sortie today morning. The pilot ejected safely, sustaining minor injuries. An inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident”, the IAF said in a statement.

Police said a rescue operation has been launched in the area where the aircraft had crashed.

"The pilot made all efforts to avert human casualties and crash-landed the plane on the outskirts of the village," said Om Prakash, Inspector General of Police, Bikaner.

'Flying coffins'

The crash was the latest in a series of accidents suffered by the Indian military.

Last week, an Indian-made army helicopter with three people on board crashed in Jammu and Kashmir region.

In July 2022, two pilots were killed when a MiG-21 crashed in a training sortie in Rajasthan.

That crash was the sixth MiG-21 aircraft to have gone down since January 2021, with five pilots killed.

Russian-made MiG-21 jets first entered Indian service in the 1960s during the Cold War and for decades served as the backbone of the country´s air force.

Numerous crashes in the past few decades have led to the planes being dubbed "flying coffins".

Two Indian Air Force fighter jets crashed in January, killing one pilot and injuring two others, in an apparent mid-air collision while on exercises south of New Delhi.

It involved a Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 and a French-built Mirage 2000.

India's defence chief, General Bipin Rawat, was among 13 people killed when his Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter crashed while transporting him to an air force base in December 2021.

India is investing billions of dollars in modernising its military, it has also sought to diversify away from Russia, with its air force buying dozens of French Rafale fighter jets.

New Delhi is also investing heavily in developing its own defence industry.

India opened its largest helicopter manufacturing plant in February, months after it unveiled its first locally made aircraft carrier and test-fired a ballistic missile from its maiden domestic nuclear-powered submarine.

At the same time it has been trying to sell more of its domestically produced hardware to other countries, particularly poorer nations unable to afford more expensive Western-made kit.

Additional input from AFP

Thumbnail image shows villagers gathering near the site in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan where an IAF MiG-21 crashed on May 8, 2023. — ANI