A Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft crashed in the Narwar Tehsil area of Shivpuri district in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday afternoon, following a “system malfunction,” as confirmed by the Indian Air Force (IAF). The incident took place at around 2:30 pm near Sunari Chowki, just minutes after the aircraft had taken off from Maharjpura airbase in Gwalior.
The twin-seater aircraft was on a routine training sortie when it encountered the malfunction. Both pilots ejected safely before the crash, and they were promptly rescued and taken to a nearby hospital by an IAF helicopter.
The Gwalior Inspector General of Police, Arvind Saxena, confirmed the crash and stated that the aircraft went down shortly after departure. A formal investigation into the incident has already been ordered to determine the exact cause of the crash.
The Mirage 2000 is a French-origin aircraft considered one of the most reliable in the IAF’s fleet, with around 50 such fighter jets in operation. Notably, the Mirage 2000 was used in the pre-dawn airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camp in Balakot, Pakistan, in February 2019, following the deadly Pulwama attack on Indian CRPF personnel.
This incident marks another in a series of air crashes involving the IAF. In 2021, the force lost both a Sukhoi-30 and a Mirage 2000 in a tragic mid-air collision in Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, a report by the Parliamentary standing committee on defence in December 2023 highlighted various reasons for 34 air crashes between 2017-2022, citing human error, technical defects, and bird strikes as common causes.
As investigations continue, the IAF has reiterated its commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of its personnel and maintaining the operational readiness of its fleet.
Sources By Agencies
