An Indian Air Force (IAF) Tejas light combat aircraft crashed during the concluding flying display at the United Arab Emirates’ Dubai Airshow on Friday (21 November 2025), resulting in the death of the pilot.
According to reports carried by Press Trust of India, the single-engine fighter went down at approximately 2:10 p.m. local time while executing an aerobatic routine in front of spectators.
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Footage from the show area capture the aircraft completing part of its display sequence before abruptly losing height and descending at speed.
Seconds later, a plume of black smoke was seen rising from the crash site, prompting the crowd in nearby viewing enclosures along the runway to withdraw rapidly, local outlet Gulf News reported.
Confirming the loss, the Indian Air Force stated on X: “An IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at Dubai Air Show, today. The pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident. IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief. A court of inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident.”
Dubai Airshow, one of the world’s largest aerospace and defence exhibitions, opened on 17 November and is scheduled to run until 24 November.
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By GlobalDataThe 2025 edition features more than 1,500 exhibitors, over 200 aircraft, according to information from the show’s website.
Gulf News reported that authorities suspended the show temporarily after the incident.
The crash occurred a day after Indian authorities rejected social media claims that the Tejas had suffered an oil leak earlier during the Dubai Airshow 2025.
The government’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check unit clarified that videos circulating online actually depicted a deliberate and routine procedure, not a technical failure.
On Thursday, 20 November 2025, PIB Fact Check unit, explained on X that the footage showed “routine, intentional draining of condensed water from the aircraft’s Environmental Control System (ECS) and On-Board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS),” describing this as standard practice for aircraft operating in high-humidity environments such as Dubai.
The Tejas, designed and produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), is a supersonic, all-weather, multi-role light combat aircraft.
It is fielded in a single-seat fighter configuration and a twin-seat trainer version under India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme.
The first technology demonstrator conducted its maiden flight in January 2001, followed by a second prototype in June 2002.
The initial series-production Tejas flew in April 2007, while the trainer variant undertook its first flight in November 2009.
HAL chairman and managing director D. K. Sunil stated in June 2025 that the IAF is expected to receive at least six additional Tejas aircraft by March 2026, as part of the service’s broader induction plans for the type.
