Sayan Chatterjee,
An Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG 27 UPG crashed near Jodhpur on Sunday in what it was the eight crash involving an IAF aircraft since January this year.
The pilot managed to eject safely and there was no loss of property or life on ground. The fighter aircraft, which was on a “routine mission”, crashed in Sirohi’s Godana in the morning. Sirohi is about 180 km from Jodhpur.
“Today morning at around 1145 hours a MiG-27 UPG aircraft which got airborne from Utarlai Air Force base experienced engine problems leading to a crash about 120 km south of Jodhpur. Pilot ejected safely. Preliminary reports indicate no loss of property/life on ground,” the IAF said in an official statement.
A court of inquiry has been established to investigate the cause of the accident.The MiG 27 is a Soviet era ground-attack aircraft. India is one of the only two operators of the aircraft. Bought in the early 1980s, the aircraft proved its worth during strike missions in the Kargil War in 1999.
Earlier this month a MiG 21 aircraft crashed after taking off from Nal near Rajasthan’s Bikaner. The pilot ejected to safety.In one of the major crashes suffered by the IAF this year, two Surya Kiran aircraft of the acrobatic team of the IAF collided mid-air at Yelhanka Air Force Base in Bengaluru during an air show.
The other major incident which happened at the HAL facility in Bengaluru when an upgraded Mirage 2000 crashed on the runway. The incident happened in February.In February again six IAF officers and a civilian counted as casualty on Wednesday when a chopper crashed near the Garend Kalan village of Budgam district in central Kashmir.
The same month another MiG-27 fighter jet crash was reported in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer above the Pokhran range.In January, an IAF Jaguar fighter plane crashed in Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh. The pilot managed to eject safely. The fighter plane had taken off from the Gorakhpur Air Force base.
The incidents were beside the loss of an IAF MiG 21 Bison aircraft in the aerial engagement with PAF fighter jets which had violated Indian airspace in order to target Indian military installations on 27 February.
