IAF fighter aircraft crashes, pilot bails out

September 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - They have a poor safety record. But the Indian Air Force (IAF) is reluctant to phase out its old Soviet era warhorse MiG-21 due to the delay in inducting new and modern fighter jets.

September 11th, 2009 Muktsar, Sept 11 (IBNS) The Indian Airforce lost another MiG 21 fighter aircraft and its pilot on Thursday when it crashed here on the Muktsar-Bhatinda road, 10km from Bhatinda airbase. Flight Lieutenant Manu Akhouri was on a routine training sortie and was returning to the base for landing when the mishap occurred, an IAF spokesman said in Delhi.

September 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - An Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-21 fighter crashed at Bathinda air base in Punjab Thursday, killing its pilot, an official said. The aircraft apparently lost power while taking off from Bathinda air base but the pilot could not eject in time, the official added.

August 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - A navy fighter jet crashed into the Arabian Sea off the coast of Goa on Friday, with the pilot presumed dead. Confirming the news,Indian Navy spokesman P.V.S.

August 16th, 2009 2 Russian jets collide, crash in air show trainingMOSCOW — Two Russian air force jets rehearsing aerobatic maneuvers collided Sunday near Moscow, killing one stunt pilot and sending one fighter crashing into nearby vacation homes, a military official said. The Su-27 fighters were part of the elite Russian Knights flying group preparing to perform at the MAKS-2009 air show, the largest and most important showcase for Russia's aerospace industry.

July 31st, 2009 HYDERABAD - An Indian Air Force (IAF) trainer aircraft crashed in Andhra Pradesh Friday, killing both its pilots, police said. A piston-engine HPT-32 aircraft crashed into a farm at Annaram village of Jinnaram Mandal in Medak district, about 100 km from here.

July 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Defence Minister A K Antony today said the government is planning to increase the number of Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft in Indian Air Force to 230 by 2015. Antony informed the Rajya Sabha that since 1996 the Air Force has procured 98 Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets.

July 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday said that the Indian Air Force (IAF) would have 230 Russian-made Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft by 2015. Replying to supplementaries in the Rajya Sabha, Antony said: "Since 1996, the IAF has procured 98 Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft.

May 29th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - A Chinese-built FT-7 fighter of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) crashed into a house Friday in Punjab province, killing one woman on the ground and injuring at least six people. The two pilots, however, ejected to safety.

May 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Commenting on the accident of a Mig-21 'Bison' plane on Wednesday, Air Chief Marshal Fali H Major today said that the Indian Air Force is deeply concerned about the loss of life or loss of fighter jets during accidents. " Its is more of a worry for the IAF than anybody else, and we are extremely worried.

May 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - An Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft crashed near Jodhpur in Rajasthan Friday but the pilot ejected safely, an official here said. The MiG 27 combat jet on a routine sortie crashed at about 8.10 a.m.

April 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A SU-30 MK-I aircraft of the Indian Air Force on a routine training mission crashed 70 kms southeast of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, today. The aircraft had taken off from aircraft had taken off from the Lohegaon air base in Pune.

March 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Indian Air Force (IAF) will Friday bid adieu to its MiG-23 'swing wing' ground attack fighter jets after nearly 30 years in service. The MiG-23 BN aircraft, which were bought from the erstwhile Soviet Union to counter Pakistan's then newly acquired F-16 jets, will take to the sky for its last sortie from the Halwara airbase in Punjab Friday.

January 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - An Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot was killed Wednesday as the Surya Kiran aircraft he was flying crashed in Bidar town of Karnataka, an official said. The aircraft, part of the IAF Surya Kiran Aerobatic Formation Team (SKAT), was on a routine flight when the incident happened at 8.45 a.m.

January 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Seventy-five years after its formation, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has finally broken the gender barrier with a young woman reaching out to the skies as its first woman flying officer. Kavita Barala logs in another first this Jan 26 when, in a moment for posterity, she salutes India's first woman president Pratibha Patil.