Tejas fighter jet crash in Dubai: A Tejas fighter jet participating in the Dubai Air Show crashed on Friday during a mid-afternoon demonstration, officials told news agency AP. The Indian-made HAL Tejas went down between 3.30-4 pm Indian time while performing an aerial display.
The Indian Air Force has confirmed that the pilot of Tejas has died in the crash. Thick black smoke was seen rising from the crash site near the airport. Authorities are assessing the situation and further details are awaited.
Indian Air Force confirms pilot’s death
In a statement, the IAF said, “An IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at the Dubai Air Show today. The pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident. Indian Air Force 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.”
Video of the crash
A video of the incident showed the moment when the plane crashed and turned into a fireball. The crash comes a day after Press Information Bureau dismissed social media posts claiming that a Tejas aircraft had suffered an oil leak at the Dubai Air Show. In a statement on X, PIB labelled the viral claims “false” and accused those circulating them of attempting to malign the fighter jet’s proven reliability with “baseless propaganda”.
Tejas crash at the Dubai Airshow
— Jignesh Variya (@JigneshKhodidas) November 21, 2025
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The Indian Air Force has participated in the air show with performances by the Suryakiran Aerobatic Team and an exhibition of the indigenously developed LCA Tejas. This is the second known crash of the fighter jet; the first crash was during a training exercise in Jaisalmer last year.
The UAE’s Ministry of Defence said that firefighting and emergency teams responded rapidly to the incident and are currently managing the situation on-site.
