What is HAL Tejas, India's fighter jet that crashed during Dubai air show and left pilot dead?
The IAF confirmed the accident and the death of the pilot, saying that he sustained fatal injuries. The LCA Tejas has been jointly developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and the Indian Air Force.
AN LCA Tejas fighter jet of the Indian Air Force crashed on Friday, leaving the pilot dead, when it was participating in an exhibition at the Dubai Air Show 2025.
The IAF confirmed the accident and the death of the pilot, saying that he sustained fatal injuries. It said that a court of enquiry was being formed to ascertain the cause of the HAL Tejas jet crash.
“An IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at Dubai Air Show, today. The pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident. IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief. A court of inquiry is being constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident,” it said.
What is the HAL Tejas jet?
Tejas is a single-engine, multi-role light combat aircraft. It has been jointly developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) for the IAF.
The IAF Tejas is equipped with a tailless, compound delta wing design with “relaxed static stability”, which enhances its manoeuvrability and agility.
Tejas is India's first homegrown fighter aircraft, even though it has a foreign engine. The first test flight of the Technology Demonstrator-1 (TD-1) was conducted in 2001. Years later in 2016, the maiden flight of the Second Series Production (SP2) Tejas aircraft of Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) configuration was conducted.
The HAL Tejas is capable of carrying out multiple functions, including aerial interception of enemy aircraft, air-to-surface strikes, and anti-shipping operations — making it perfect for a fighter jet.
The IAF Tejas is built from a mix of aluminium-lithium alloys, titanium alloys, and advanced carbon-fibre composite materials, making it a light aircraft and therefore easy to manoeuver during tricky situations.
Tejas is the second jet-powered combat aircraft developed by HAL, after the HF-24 Marut. The aircraft has two variations — Mark 1 and Mark 1A.
The Tejas fighter jet is equipped with a versatile weapons suite. It comes with I-Derby ER and Astra beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missiles, as well as short-range missiles including the R-73, Python-5, and ASRAAM.
HAL Tejas also has an aerial refuelling probe mounted on the starboard side of the forward fuselage.
In its 24 years of flying, this is the second time a Tejas aircraft has crashed. The first crash was reported in March last year in Jaisalmer.
