Two fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed on Saturday (January 28, 2023) morning in Morena, Madhya Pradesh. Reports suggest that Sukhoi Su-30MKI and Mirage 2000 fighter jets were conducting exercises in the area at the time of the incident. Based on the information received, both the aircraft had taken off from the air base at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. However, the cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained.
Indian Air Force officials have said that the details of the incident will be shared after a complete assessment of the incident. As per the latest updates, the wreckage of the planes has been spotted. Search and rescue operation has been started.
#watch , Debris seen. A Sukhoi-30 and a Mirage 2000 aircraft crashed near Morena in Madhya Pradesh. Search and rescue operation was launched. Both the aircraft had taken off from the Gwalior airbase, where the exercise was underway. pic.twitter.com/xqCJ2autOe– ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2023
“Information was received about a plane crash around 10-10.15 am. After coming here, it was found that it was an IAF fighter jet. Going by the wreckage, we are unable to determine if it was a fighter jet.” or regular aircraft. Still to find out whether the pilots ejected or are still inside”, Bharatpur DSP told ANI.
An IAF Court of Inquiry will be launched to establish whether the mid-air collision took place or not. The Su-30 had two pilots on board during the crash while the Mirage 2000 had one pilot. Initial reports suggest that 2 pilots are safe while an IAF chopper is soon reaching the location of the third pilot, defense sources told ANI.
The sources further said that Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is in touch with CDS General Anil Chauhan and Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhary and is gathering information from them about the accident.
The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a multirole fighter jet jointly developed by Sukhoi Design Bureau and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force. On the other hand, the Mirage 2000 has been developed by French aviation giant Dassault, the maker of the Rafale fighter jet.
This is a developing story