Two Indian Air Force pilots were killed on Tuesday when their Jaguar trainer aircraft crashed while on a routine training flight over Bhanuda village in Churu district of Rajasthan. The accident has led the IAF to initiate a court of inquiry to determine the cause of the crash.

In an official X post, the IAF said, “One IAF Jaguar Trainer plane encountered an accident on a routine training sorties and crashed in Churu district of Rajasthan today. Both pilots were killed in the accident. There has been no report of any damage to civil property. IAF is saddened by the loss of lives and is with the grieving families at this moment of sorrow.”

Who Were the Pilots?

The two dead officers were Squadron Leader Lokendra Singh Sindhu (44) and Flight Lieutenant Rishi Raj Singh (23).

Squadron Leader Sindhu was from Rohtak, Haryana, and had joined the Indian Air Force in 2016. He was the youngest of three children. As Sindhu had married during the COVID-19 pandemic, he had just become a father. His wife had given birth to a baby boy on June 10 and was yet to return to her home when the tragic news became known to the family.

His sister had just finished her service as a short-service commissioned officer in the Air Force, and his brother is employed by a multinational corporation.

Flight Lieutenant Rishi Raj Singh was a Pali, Rajasthan native. He attended school before joining the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune. There, he completed a three-and-a-half-year course before being commissioned into the IAF. His mother is a homemaker and his father owns a hotel business. He has a younger brother studying Class 12 in Jodhpur. Reports state that his parents had just started searching for a good bride for him.

Eyewitness Account and Jaguar Background

Witnesses from the crash scene said that the plane lost control in the air before crashing into a field. Emergency responders and local police rushed to the scene.

This is the third Jaguar crash since March. In March, another plane crashed in Haryana, and in April, a similar crash in Gujarat resulted in one pilot’s death.

The Jaguar fighter plane, inducted by the IAF in 1979, is a deep strike ground-attack aircraft, and it has seen numerous upgrades over the decades. India has about 120 Jaguars, constructed under a transfer of technology pact between SEPECAT and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Aviation experts have expressed concern regarding the aging fleet despite upgrades, citing the need for modernization to improve safety and performance.

The IAF has guaranteed that the cause of the crash will be determined by a proper investigation and future mishaps avoided.