Two Indian Air Force fighter jets crashed on Saturday after an apparent mid-air collision during an exercise south of the capital, New Delhi, and one pilot died, the IAF said.
The crash involved a Russian Su-30 with two pilots and a French Mirage 2000 piloted by a third.
Both planes took off in the morning from Gwalior Air Base, about 50 kilometers east of where they crashed.
“The aircraft was performing a normal combat training flight mission,” the country’s Air Force said in a statement, saying that one of the three pilots suffered fatal injuries.
The department added that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the accident.
Police officer Dharmender Gaur told Agence France-Presse (AFP) from the crash site that another pilot had been found alive but injured in the Padargarh forests about 300 kilometers away.
“We found the wreckage of one of the planes,” the officer said. “Another plane probably crashed further away from the site and we sent a team to look for it.”
Local authorities have been tasked with assisting the air force in the rescue efforts, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chowhan said on Twitter.
“I pray to God that the pilots of the planes are safe,” he added.
The crash is the latest in a string of accidents involving the Indian Air Force.
Last October, five army soldiers died when their helicopter crashed in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, close to the country’s militarized and disputed border with China.
It was the second military helicopter crash in the state this month, coming just weeks after a Cheetah helicopter crashed near the city of Tawang, killing the pilot.
Indian Defense Minister General Bipin Rawat was among 13 people killed when his Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter crashed while being transported to an air force base in December 2021.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is tackling the urgent task of overhauling India’s aging military.
Its military establishment is worried about China’s growing assertiveness along its vast Himalayan border, sparking a prolonged diplomatic lull in 2019 following a deadly high-altitude clash between troops from both countries.
Last year, India unveiled its first locally built aircraft carrier as part of the government’s efforts to build a domestic defense industry and reduce reliance on Russia, historically its most important arms supplier.
An attempt to reform recruiting to cut India’s bloated payroll stalled last year after a backlash from aspiring soldiers who burned train cars and clashed with police in violent protests.
