India-Made Tejas Plane Crashes, Pilot Survives

An Indian Air Force (IAF) plane has crashed during an operational training sortie in Northern India.

The HAL Tejas delta wing aircraft was incinerated at the crash site in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The pilot ejected safely before the crash and no other civilians were injured.

The crash was the first such incident for a domestically-made Tejas Light Combat Aircraft since its induction into the army in 2015.

A Court of Inquiry will investigate the cause of the accident.

Designed as a light multirole fighter for the IAF and the Indian Navy, the Tejas was first inducted into the force to replace the MiG-21 supersonic aircraft.

It can reach a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 (1,380 miles/2,220 kilometers per hour) with a combat range of 460 miles (740 kilometers).

Its weapons include a 23 mm twin-barrel GSh-23 cannon and precision- and laser-guided bombs. Additionally, it is currently being fitted with ASTRA beyond-visual-range missiles to boost its armament.

Recently, India began offering the jets to other countries, including Argentina and Egypt.