An Indian fighter jet crash during a training flight killed two pilots in Assam in northeastern India, the Indian air force said Friday.
The air force said the two-seater, long-range Sukhoi Su-30MKI crashed in Karbi Anglong district after it took off from an airbase late Thursday, according to the statement cited in the report. It said officials were investigating the cause of the crash.
In a separate reaction, India’s defense minister, Rajnath Singh, said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of the two pilots, the report said.
The Su-30MKI is Russian-designed and is produced under license by India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., the report said. The Indian air force operates more than 260 of the aircraft types, according to the same account.
The report also noted that India has had other Su-30MKI crashes, including in June 2024 and January 2023, before the Assam incident.