Overview

• On July 9 at 1:25 p.m., a twin-seater Jaguar trainer jet from Suratgarh air base crashed near Bhanoda village in Churu district, Rajasthan.
• Both Squadron Leader Lokendra Singh Sindhu and Flight Lieutenant Rishi Raj Singh sustained fatal injuries and were confirmed dead at the scene.
• The Indian Air Force has constituted a Court of Inquiry to determine the cause of the accident.
• This marks the third Jaguar crash in five months, following incidents in March in Haryana and April in Gujarat that also resulted from technical malfunctions.
• With roughly 121 ageing Jaguars in service and engine and airframe fatigue issues, the IAF is under growing pressure to accelerate the fleet’s planned phase-out by 2031 and ramp up induction of HAL Tejas fighters.