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 footage showed the jet engulfed in flames, with a large plume of black smoke rising from the crash site. The Indian Air Force (IAF) quickly formed a court of inquiry to determine the cause of the accident and confirmed that the pilot had suffered fatal injuries.
The IAF expressed its condolences to the pilot’s family and said the inquiry would examine the circumstances surrounding the crash. Firefighting and emergency teams also responded rapidly, but their efforts could not save the pilot’s life, while airport authorities continued managing the situation at the site.
The crash occurred on the final day of the Dubai Airshow, one of the Middle East’s largest aviation events, which features flying displays each afternoon. Dawn reported that hundreds of spectators were watching from the grandstand at the time, while the apron was filled with aircraft, helicopters and other equipment 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. 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, Vice Chief of Air Staff (VCAS), had indicated ahead of the Dubai Airshow 2025 that the Tejas could attract interest from potential international buyers. Speaking to ANI, Tiwari said the Indian Air Force had brought the Tejas and the Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team to the event at the request of the UAE authorities, highlighting the strong strategic and military relationship between India and the UAE.
Tiwari also noted that the Tejas had previously participated in the Dubai Airshow and attracted significant attention. He said the aircraft’s appearance in the 2025 flying display was expected to once again showcase its capabilities to both local spectators and international visitors.
However, the fatal crash during the airshow could complicate those efforts. Any potential interest in the Tejas could be put on hold until the investigation determines what caused the accident and whether any technical or operational issues contributed to the crash.
