Post by : Shakul

Two pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were killed after a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet crashed in the northeastern Indian state of Assam during a routine training mission. The accident occurred on the evening of March 5 in the hilly terrain of Karbi Anglong district, around 60 kilometres from the Jorhat Air Force Station.

The IAF confirmed that the pilots who lost their lives were Squadron Leader Anuj and Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar. According to the Air Force, the aircraft had taken off from Jorhat airbase for a routine sortie but lost radar and radio contact with ground control at around 7:42 PM local time before crashing in the remote hills of Karbi Anglong.

Search and rescue teams from the Indian Air Force, local police and disaster response agencies were deployed shortly after the aircraft was reported overdue. Debris of the fighter jet was later located in a forested and mountainous area, where difficult terrain initially complicated rescue operations. Local residents reported hearing a loud explosion and seeing flames in the hills around the time of the crash.

The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a twin-seat, long-range multirole fighter aircraft developed by Russia’s Sukhoi Design Bureau and produced in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It forms the backbone of the Indian Air Force’s fighter fleet, with more than 250 aircraft currently in service.

The Indian Air Force has ordered a Court of Inquiry to determine the exact cause of the crash. Investigators are expected to examine possible technical malfunction, operational factors, or environmental conditions that may have contributed to the accident.

The tragic incident adds to a number of fighter aircraft accidents reported in recent years, raising renewed concerns about operational safety and maintenance challenges faced by military aviation fleets.

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