Two IAF pilots killed in Jaguar fighter jet crash near Churu in Rajasthan
Jaipur/New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI): Two pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were killed on Wednesday morning in a crash of a Jaguar fighter jet near Churu in Rajasthan, the third such accident since March involving the twin-engine bomber.
The IAF said a court of inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident.
"An IAF Jaguar Trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan, today," it said in a brief statement.
"Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident. No damage to any civil property has been reported," it said.
The IAF said it "deeply regrets" the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families in this time of grief.
"A court of inquiry has been constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident," it said.
The IAF is yet to make public the names of the deceased pilots.
Earlier, Rajasthan Police officials said the jet crashed at around 1.25 pm.
The aircraft crashed in an agriculture field in Bhanoda village around 1.25 pm, SHO of Rajaldesar, Kamlesh, said. He said human body parts were found near the crash site.
Shortly after the crash, locals rushed to the site and found burning debris.
Policemen from Rajaldesar and Ratangarh police stations, fire brigade and ambulance also rushed to the spot, Ratangarh Circle Officer Anil Kumar said.
It was the third incident involving Jaguar aircraft.
On March 7, a Jaguar fighter jet crashed following a system malfunction shortly after taking off from the Ambala air base. The pilot had maneuvered the aircraft away from any habitation on ground, before ejecting safely.
On April 2, another Jaguar jet crashed at a village near Jamnagar IAF station in Gujarat following a technical snag. The aircraft was on a training mission.
One pilot was killed in the accident while the other sustained injuries.
Jaguar is a British-French fighter aircraft that was originally deployed in the British Royal Air Force and the French Air Force. The first flight of the Jaguar took place on September 8, 1968.
India started inducting the jet in the late 70s.
India inducted 116 Jaguars out of which 70 were produced under licence in the country.
The French Air Force flew the jet until July 2005, while the Royal Air Force used it till the end of April 2007.
🚨45 years old IAF Jaguar fighter jet crashed in Churu district of Rajasthan.
— Mohit Chauhan (@mohitlaws) July 9, 2025
Two Pilots lost their life in this crash. pic.twitter.com/UWXaJbdcxO
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
