Tejas LCA: Serious Incident at Dubai Air Show Raises Questions for Indian Fighter Jet

At the Dubai Air Show, one of the world’s most important aeronautical events, a serious incident occurred today involving a Tejas LCA light fighter from the Indian Air Force (IAF). The plane crashed in the early afternoon during an air demonstration, generating a dense column of black smoke visible from the entire exhibition sector. The pilot lost his life in the impact, officially confirmed by the Indian Air Force, who expressed condolences and support for the family.Incident InvestigationAccording to the IAF statement, an investigation commission was immediately set up to determine the causes of the incident. Eyewitnesses on site and videos circulated on the media show the plane engaged in an acrobatic maneuver when it dramatically lost altitude. Event organizers reported that the pilot may have scored to recover from a high negative G load maneuver, which can readily degrade control and increase structural stress on the aircraft.The Tejas Program and its significance for the IAF modernizationThe aircraft involved is a monoplane version of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It’s the second incident involving a Tejas in less than two years; the previous one in March 2024, resulting in a crash in the Indian state of Rajasthan, where the pilot survived thanks to the ejection system.Impact on the LCA program’s imageThe Tejas program, which began in 1980 and flew for the first time in 2001, symbolizes India’s growing technological autonomy in the aerospace sector. However, the loss of an aircraft during such a significant international event could fuel questions about the overall maturity of the system, especially after the previous 2024 incident.