The news of the Indian Air Force’s Tejas fighter aircraft crashing during a demonstration at the Dubai Air Show has come to light. At around 2:10 pm local time on Friday afternoon, when Tejas was performing stunts in the air show, it suddenly lost its balance in the air and fell on the ground. The accident happened in front of a large number of spectators.
pilot’s death
Indian Air Force said that the pilot died in this accident. The Air Force wrote on Twitter – ‘Today, a Tejas aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed during an air display at the Dubai Air Show. The pilot suffered serious injuries in this accident and lost his life. The Indian Air Force expresses deep sorrow over this accident and stands with the bereaved family in this hour of grief. A Court of Inquiry is being constituted to find out the cause of the accident.
❗️Dubai Air Show spectators evacuated safely after Indian Air Force’s Tejas aircraft crash, emergency services present at the scene – TASS https://t.co/LhsS0KjlyL pic.twitter.com/k8KN35PlWq
— RT Hindi (@RT_hindi_) November 21, 2025
Second incident of Tejas crash in two years
This incident is the second accident involving Tejas aircraft in less than two years. In March 2024, a Tejas fighter aircraft crashed in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, the first such accident in the aircraft’s 23-year history since its first test flight in 2001. In that case the pilot had ejected from the aircraft safely.
Tejas: India’s light and deadly multi-role fighter
Tejas is a 4.5-generation multi-role combat aircraft, designed for air defense missions, offensive air support and close-combat operations. It is counted among the lightest and smallest fighter aircraft in the world.
What is most special about Tejas?
The most special technology of Tejas is the Martin-Baker zero-zero ejection seat. This system can safely eject the pilot even at zero altitude and zero speed, i.e. during takeoff, landing or risky low altitude maneuvers. In this, the explosive charge blows up the canopy and pushes the pilot safely out of the plane and then helps in landing through parachute.