Two Indian Air Force pilots were killed when their French-built Mirage 2000 aircraft crashed minutes after take-off on Friday, February 1.
The single-engine jet fighter aircraft manufactured by Dassault Aviation was on a test flight after an upgrade carried out by India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
“Both occupants sustained fatal injuries … Investigation into the cause of accident is being ordered,” the defense ministry said in a statement.
Local media reports said the pilots tried to eject but were caught in flames as the plane exploded at the HAL airport in the southern city of Bangalore. No one was hurt on the ground.
Confirmed. An @IAF_MCC Mirage 2000 jet has crashed at HAL Airport, Bengaluru. First details say both pilots have ejected safely. pic.twitter.com/HdPWbRamIb
— Livefist (@livefist) February 1, 2019
India had signed a $2.4 billion deal with France in 2011 to upgrade 51 Mirage 2000 fighters, which were purchased in the mid-1980s, with new electronic warfare systems and radar.
Last week, the Economic Times daily said the upgrade of the multi-role aircraft had been hit by production delays on part of HAL.
Crashes involving fighter planes are not uncommon in India which is in the midst of upgrading its Soviet-era military.
Most of the accidents involve the MiGs that India bought decades ago from the Soviet Union, earning it the unflattering “flying coffin” tag.
Last July, the pilot of an MiG-21 jet died after the fighter jet crashed in northern Himachal Pradesh state.
Friday’s incident comes just days after an Indian Air Force Jaguar fighter jet crashed in Uttar Pradesh shortly after takeoff. The pilot ejected safely, the IAF said.
India is investing billions of dollars in modernising its air force as fears grow over increasing cooperation between its arch-rival Pakistan and China.
New Delhi has signed a contract to purchase 36 Dassault Rafale fighters from France for $8.8 billion. The jets are expected to be delivered later this year.
With reporting from AFP
