ISLAMABAD, July 29 (Alliance News): A Soviet-era MiG-21 fighter jet crashed during a training flight in India, killing two pilots.
According to the foreign media, the Indian Air Force says that after several incidents of accidents involving MiG-21 aircraft, security concerns regarding these aircraft have increased.
The Ministry of Defense said that the MiG-21 crashed near Barmer city in the desert of the western state of Rajasthan last night.
This is the sixth incident of MiG-21 aircraft accidents since January last year, a total of 5 pilots have been killed in these accidents.
The Indian Air Force said that a training aircraft had met with an accident and an investigation has been ordered to find out the cause.
The Indian Air Force said in a tweet that “Indian Air Force deeply regrets the loss of lives and is with the bereaved families in this hour of sorrow.”
Local media footage showed the wreckage of the crashed plane spread over a large area.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said that he is deeply saddened by the death of 2 pilots in this accident.
He wrote in his tweet that his services to the nation will never be forgotten.
MiG-21 jets were first inducted into Indian service in the 1960s and served as the backbone of the Indian Air Force for decades.
However, due to numerous accidents in the last few decades, these aircraft have been dubbed ‘flying coffins’ due to their poor safety record.
India is investing billions of dollars to modernize its air force, a move prompted by its decades-old rivalry with Pakistan and rising tensions with China.
The Indian Army has purchased dozens of French Rafale fighter jets, the delivery of which has started in 2020.
