IAF fighter crashes in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow: A Jaguar fighter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed near here on Tuesday minutes after it took off on a routine sortie, an official said. Both the pilots ejected safely.

An inquiry has been ordered in the incident.

The plane took off from the Bamrauli air strip but within minutes of being airborne, the pilots signalled a technical glitch. With control lost, the pilots ejected and the plane crashed close to the Food Corporation of India godown near Naini area.

The pilots are safe but the plane was destroyed.

The plane caught fire on impact and fire tenders were rushed to the crash site. Senior officials rushed to the spot.

Officials told IANS that the area has been cordoned off and and there were no casualties on ground.

This is the second crash of a Jaguar plane this year after a fighter went down in a similar manner in Haryana. On that occasion, the pilot, who ejected and suffered minor injuries, had made a distress call after technical difficulties had emerged within minutes of take off.

Between 2011-2014, there have been at least four Jaguar crashes.

The Jaguar is a twin-engine, single seater deep penetration strike aircraft of Anglo-French origin with a maximum speed of 1,350 kms per hour (Mach 1.3). It has two 30 mm guns and can carry two R-350 Magic CCMs (overwing) along with 4,750 kg of external stores (bombs/fuel), says the IAF website.

The Jaguar has played an important role in several operations, including the 1999 Kargil war.