In a massive setback for India's atmanirbhar (self-reliance) project, Indian Air Force's (IAF) Tejas fighter aircraft crashed during a demonstration at the Dubai Air Show on Friday. According to reports, the incident took place at around 2.10 pm local time and it is not clear what caused the crash.
The pilot, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said, lost his life in the incident after failing to eject. The IAF or Indian security agencies have also not issued a statement over the incident either. Meanwhile, videos of the incident have gone viral on social media in which black smoke could be seen at the airport where the crash took place.
What is the Dubai Air Show?
The Dubai Air Show is a biennial air show that is held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It was held for the first time in 1986 under the name 'Arab Air'. The next edition was held in 1989 at the Dubai Airport in which 25 aircraft participated. In 1991, the third edition was held. For next 10 years, no edition was organised. However, from 2001, the air show is being held regularly held in every two years.
The previous Dubai Airshow was held in 2023 from November 13 to 17.
The Dubai Air Show 2025 and India's participation
The Dubai Air Show 2025 began on November 17 at the Al Maktoum Airbase in the UAE. The IAF's Suryakiran Aerobatic Team and Tejas fighter jets are participating in the exercise. "The global event, with participation from over 100 Air Forces, aims to enhance interoperability, operational edge, and foster military as well as business cooperation," the IAF had posted on X (previously Twitter) on November 15.
Apart from India's Tejas, fighter jets such as Airbus A380, A400M, F-16, F/A-18, F-22 Raptor, V-22 Osprey, B-1B, and Eurofighter Typhoon are participating in the event.
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