Two aviators have been killed in India after a Soviet-era fighter spurt crashed during a training ramble, the air force said, heightening safety enterprises after a string of incidents involving the aircraft.
The MiG- 21 came down on Thursday night in the desert of western Rajasthan state near the megacity of Barmer, the defence ministry said.
The crash was the sixth MiG- 21 aircraft to have gone down since January last time, with five aviators killed.
The Indian Air Force( IAF) said the training aircraft “ met with an accident ” and said a disquisition was ordered to determine the cause of the crash.
“ IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands forcefully with the deprived families, ” the air force twittered.
At 9:10 pm this evening, an IAF MiG 21 trainer aircraft met with an accident in the western sector during a training sortie.
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) July 28, 2022
Both pilots sustained fatal injuries.
Original media footage showed flaming wreckage spread over a large area.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said he was “ deeply agonized ” by the loss of the two aviators in the crash.
“ Their service to the nation will noway be forgotten, ” Singh said on Twitter.
Deeply anguished by the loss of two Air Warriors due to an accident of IAF’s Mig-21 trainer aircraft near Barmer in Rajasthan. Their service to the nation will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of sadness. https://t.co/avKi9YoMdo
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 28, 2022
MiG- 21 spurts first entered Indian service in the 1960s and for decades served as the backbone of the country’s air force.
multitudinous crashes in the once many decades, still, have led to aeroplanes being dubbed “ flying palls ” because of their poor safety record.
India is investing billions of bones in modernising its air force, an action motivated by its decades-old contest with Pakistan and increased pressures with China.
Its service has bought dozens of French Rafale fighter spurts, with deliveries starting in 2020.
