Tejas aircraft crashed for the first time in Jaisalmer military exercise

A Tejas aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed near Jaisalmer in Pokhran town after participating in a tri-services military exercise. Its purpose was to show India’s progress toward self-reliance in the defense manufacturing sector. The tri-services refer to the combined services of the army, navy, and air force.

This is the first light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas crash. IAF started inducting LCA in 2016. IAF said in a statement one of the IAF’s Tejas aircraft crashed during operational training in Jaisalmer. However, the pilot evacuated successfully.

#Tejas crashes for first time minutes after taking part in #military drills

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Meanwhile, IAF has also established a Court of Inquiry to determine the cause of the Tejas crash LCA Mk-1. Before crashing, the aircraft had flown during the tri-services Bharat Shakti exercise at the Pokhran firing range in Jaisalmer alongside another Tejas fighter.

The two fighters fired flares during the military exercise. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh also observed this military exercise.

In addition, Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande, IAF Chief Air Marshal VC Chaudhari, and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar joined this military exercise.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also delivered a speech during this military service. He said the idea of Viksit Bharat is unimaginable without Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Viksit Bharat is the roadmap plan of Modi’s government to make India a fully developed nation by 2047. However, Atmanirbhar Bharat refers to self-reliant India. PM Modi introduced the phrase term Atmanirbhar Bharat in the context of the economic plan development of India.

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PM Modi also emphasized the importance of reducing the reliance of India on outsiders. The effectiveness of the country’s self-reliance program is seen in locally manufactured military equipment such as fighter jets, helicopters, missile systems, and artillery pieces.

The combined tri-services, Bharat Shakti exercise, demonstrated how the Indian military intends to use its resources to dominate the battlefield. Apart from Tejas aircraft LCA Mk-1, the exercise featured a variety of weapons and systems.

It included the light combat helicopter Prachand, armed advanced light helicopters, T-90 tanks, and BMP-II troops combat vehicles. Drone-launched precision-guided weapons, unmanned aerial vehicles, rockets, air defense weapons, and artillery guns such as Dhanush, Sharang, and K9 Vajra were also displayed at the exercise.