Fighter jets crash during exercises in India — RT World News
Pilot killed in crash involving Su-30 and Mirage 2000, authorities say
Two fighter jets crashed during training flights over central India early on Saturday, military and civilian authorities said. A pilot was killed in the incident, according to the Indian Air Force.
A Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 and a French Mirage 2000 crashed in Morena district, Madhya Pradesh state, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted. It was later announced that wreckage of one plane was found in Madhya Pradesh and the other had touched down in the neighboring state of Rajasthan.
Videos on social media show the remains of the plane and a massive fire at one of the crash sites.
According to reports, the planes took off from Gwalior air base in Madhya Pradesh for scheduled exercises. Contact with the aircraft was reportedly lost around 5:30 a.m. local time.
There is speculation in the media that the two planes may have collided in mid-air. So far, however, there has been no official comment on the cause of the incident.
#LOOK | Wreck seen. A Sukhoi-30 and Mirage 2000 plane crashed near Morena, Madhya Pradesh. Start of search and rescue operations. The two planes had taken off from Gwalior air base where an exercise was taking place. pic.twitter.com/xqCJ2autOe
— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2023
The Indian Air Force confirmed the loss of two of its aircraft in a tweet. “One of the three pilots involved suffered fatal injuries,” he said, adding that an investigation had been opened.
The other two pilots were rescued and rushed to hospital, according to Madhya Pradesh local administrator Ankit Asthana.
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The Russian Sukhoi Su-30 is a two-seat multirole fighter aircraft, which has been around since the mid-1990s. The Mirage 2000 fighter, produced by the French company Dassault Aviation, was introduced in the mid-1980s. It is available in one- and two-seater versions.
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