Two pilots killed in Indian fighter jet crash

An Indian fighter jet crashed during a training flight in the northeast on Thursday night, killing both pilots, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said on Friday.

The two-seater long-range Sukhoi Su-30MKI aircraft went down in Assam state's Karbi Anglong district shortly after taking off from Jorhat airbase, the IAF said in a statement.

Officials are investigating the cause of the crash. Contact with the Russian-made jet was lost at approximately 7:42 pm local time.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed he was "deeply saddened" by the loss of the two pilots.

The Su-30MKI, designed by Russia's Sukhoi Corporation, is produced under licence by India's state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). The Indian Air Force currently operates over 260 of these aircraft in its fleet.

India has experienced previous crashes of this jet type, including incidents in June 2024 and January 2023.