Dubai Tejas crash probe still on: IAF vice chief

The Indian Air Force’s probe into the fatal crash of a Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA Mk-1) at the Dubai Airshow last November is still in progress as technical analysis continues, IAF vice chief Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit said.

“The Dubai crash is still under investigation as we await the final technical analysis of some components,” he said, responding to a question about what caused the accident, the second involving the India-built single-engine fighter jet.

The pilot, Wing Commander Namansh Syal, was performing low-level aerobatic manoeuvres when the fighter jet crashed on the concluding day of the five-day airshow.

The Tejas crashed for the first time near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan in March, 2024, minutes after taking part in a tri-services exercise. The pilot ejected safely at the time. The LCA Mk -1 had flown during the tri-services Bharat Shakti exercise at the Pokhran firing range near Jaisalmer along with another Tejas fighter before it went down.

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IAF inducted its first LCA Mk-1 in July 2016 and currently operates two squadrons (a squadron has 16 to 18 planes). The two aircraft that crashed were part of the IAF’s Mk-1 fleet in the initial operational clearance (IOC) and the more advanced final operational clearance (FOC) configurations --- the first variants of LCA.

The IAF has so far placed two separate orders for a total of 180 Mk-1As (the latest LCA variant) with a combined value of ₹ 1.1 lakh crore to shore up its fighter fleet. The first contract for 83 jets was inked in February 2021, followed by a second one for 97 fighters in September 2025.

To be sure, none of the fighters ordered five years back has been delivered yet. The IAF might receive the first of the 83 jets on order by the end of this year, and the contract is likely to be executed over the next three to four years. The delivery under the second contract for 97 aircraft is expected to begin in 2027-28 and be wrapped up over six years.