Tejas, India’s indigenously-built fighter jet that is a part of a larger Indian project known as “Aatmanirbhar Bhaarat“ {the world “Aatmanirbhar” lossely translated as “self-sufficient” and “Bhaarat” refers to India}, crashed at the Dubai Air Show Friday during a demonstration, confirmed the Indian Air Force. The Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA Mk-1) was carrying out am aerial display for the audience over the skies of the Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central. The HAL-made aircraft went down at approximately 2:10 p.m. local time, reported The Associated Press.
What happened: IAF’s Tejas Crash in Dubai
During its final afternoon demonstration on 21 November, the Tejas (as captured in this video by Dawn) performed a low-altitude roll maneuver before it appeared to lose control, descended rapidly, and impacted the ground.
The same footage reveals the jet engulfed in flames and a large plume of black smoke emanating from the site. The Indian Air Force swiftly constituted a court of inquiry to investigate the cause, and took to X to announce:
“An IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at Dubai Air Show, today. The pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident. IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief. A court of inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident.”
As is the case with crashes of such nature, firefighting and emergency teams responded rapidly. Despite such efforts, it was impossible to save the life of the pilot, and the airport authorities are currently managing the situation on-site. Dawn described the background of the Tejas crash in Dubai Airshow in the following manner:
“The incident happened on the last day of the Middle East’s biggest airshow, which features a flying display each afternoon. Hundreds of people were watching from a grandstand, while the apron was packed with planes, helicopters and other hardware on static display.”
A Brief into Tejas’ Crash History
Tejas made it to the Indian Air Force in 2016 with the first Tejas squadron, No. 45 ‘Flying Daggers,’. Air Force as well as the Navy operate single-seat and twin-seat variants of Tejas.
Prior to the fatal crash of Tejas at the Airshow today, Tejas has never suffered a fatal accident. On March 12, 2024, a Tejas aircraft operated by the IAF crashed near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, as it went down during operations. The pilot had activated the Martin-Baker zero-zero ejection system back then.
The Hindustan Times had reported that the Tejas had crashed “minutes after taking part in a tri-services exercise that sought to demonstrate the strides India has made towards self-reliance in the defense manufacturing sector“, and quoted a few sources who said that an engine seizure had led to the crash:
“The engine seizure appears to have been caused by an oil pump malfunction…Safety checks on the entire LCA Mk-1 fleet were carried out. No safety issues were found with the fighter”
Did an Oil Leak lead to the Tejas’ crash?
The crash comes at a delicate moment for Tejas: India recently inked a contract for acquiring 97 more Tejas jets, with deliveries reportedly slated from 2027 onward. The incident will likely provoke scrutiny of the platform’s aerobatic safety margin, especially in exports and international demonstrations.
Only yesterday, various social media accounts claimed that Tejas was suffering from oil leaks, something that the government of India had to fact check against. Such claims were made on the basis of videos that depicted draining of condensed water from Tejas’ following systems:
- Environmental Control System (ECS)
- On-Board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS)
Such process is routine when a (fighter) plane operates in humid environments such as Dubai, said the Press Information Bureau of the nation yesterday:
“Several propaganda accounts are circulating videos claiming that at the Dubai Airshow 2025, the Indian LCA Tejas Mk1 suffered an oil leakage. These claims are fake..While these accounts are attempting to push a false narrative, the facts remain clear…There was no leakage, only a standard operational procedure being carried out as required. Avoid sharing unverified or misleading claims. Always verify facts before circulating information..”
As the investigation about the crash is ongoing, no one knows any conclusive reasons what caused the crash.
Tejas has been a part of the Dubai Air Show before
Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, the Vice Chief of Air Staff (VCAS), had hinted that Tejas might be able to garner orders at the Dubai Airshow 2025 where it subsequently crashed and was quoted in ANI as having said:
“We sent the Tejas as well as the Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team on the request of the UAE authorities. We have an excellent cooperation with them, both at the strategic level as well as the service level.”
Tiwari said that Tejas had a history of performing at the Dubai Airshow where it had garnered some interest.
“Tejas has come here and participated before. The interest shown was tremendous. We are expecting that the display this year also will cater to great expectations, not only for the local population but also for the visitors, to at least showcase the capabilities of the aircraft,”
But after the crash, all the interest that the aircraft has been able to generate might be stalled, at least until the investigation reveals what went wrong.
