An Indian Air Force Hindustan MiG-21 Bison, of 23sq “Panthers”/35 Wing, crashed at Suratgarh Air Force Station (VI43), Rajasthan, after a technical malfunction.
As per initial reports, the pilot of the aircraft has survived the crash and there has been no damage to property.
“During a training sortie in the western sector, a MiG-21 Bison aircraft experienced a major technical malfunction this evening. The pilot ejected safely at about 8.15 pm. There is no loss of life,” the official Twitter handle of Indian Air Force tweeted.
The primary cause of the crash is suspected to be – technical malfunction.
A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to probe the accident, the IAF said.
In 1961, the IAF procured the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau-made MiG 21. The single-engine, single-seater multirole fighter/ground attack aircraft of Russian origin forms the back-bone of the IAF.
It has a max speed of 2230 km/hr (Mach 2.1) and carries one 23mm twin-barrel cannon with four R-60 close combat missiles.
The MiG-21 Bison is in the final phase of service and is slated to be phased out over the next decade.
