Srinagar, December 21, 2021 (PPI-OT):Seven aircraft of the Indian Air Force have crashed in the last two years, the government confirmed to Rajya Sabha, upper house of Indian parliament. Indian Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said this while replying to a question in the House. “A total of seven aircraft of the Air Force have crashed in the last two years, including the Mirage 2000 which crashed recently in Madhya Pradesh,” he said.

The minister said every aircraft accident in the IAF is investigated by a Court of Inquiry (CoI) to ascertain the cause of the accident. “The recommendations of the completed Court of Inquiry are implemented. Only after completion of the Court of Inquiry, the quantum of loss is finalised,” he said.

Replying to a separate question, Bhatt said indigenously-developed Tejas aircraft is not being inducted as a replacement for MIG-21 fighter jets but as a part of the modernisation of the Indian Air Force. He said an amount of Rs 6,653 crore was spent on the manufacturing of 24 Tejas jets till September 30.

It is worth mentioning here that since 1970 more than 170 Indian pilots and 40 civilians have been killed in MiG-21 accidents, which are dubbed as the ‘flying coffin’ or the ‘widow maker’. At least 14 MiG-21s have crashed between 2010 and 2013. Over half of the 840 aircraft built between 1966 and 1984 were lost to crashes.

For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org