IAF Jaguar Fighter Jet Crashes in Rajasthan’s Churu, Third Jaguar Loss in 2025

A Jaguar fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed on Wednesday morning in Rajasthan’s Churu district near the Pakistan border, becoming the third Jaguar crash in five months and the fifth overall IAF aircraft incident this year.

The aircraft, a twin-seater variant, took off from the Suratgarh Air Force Base before going down near Ratangarh town. Local police and Air Force rescue teams rushed to the site. The IAF, in a statement, said that both pilots lost their lives.

“An IAF Jaguar Trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan today. Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident. No damage to any civil property has been reported. IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families in this time of grief. A court of inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident,” the IAF ‘X’ post said.

Five Crashes in Seven Months: A Rising Concern

This latest incident adds to an already troubling record of crashes in 2025:

February 6 – A Mirage 2000 trainer jet crashed near Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh. Both pilots ejected safely.

March 7 – A Jaguar fighter went down near Panchkula, Haryana. The pilot survived.

March 7 (same day) – An An-32 transport aircraft met with an accident during landing at Bagdogra Air Base. No injuries were reported.

April 2 – A Jaguar trainer jet crashed near Jamnagar, Gujarat. Of the two pilots on board, one was killed and the other ejected safely.

July 9 – The latest Jaguar crash in Churu, Rajasthan. The extent of casualties is still being verified.

These back-to-back incidents—particularly the recurring crashes involving the Jaguar fleet—have triggered renewed scrutiny over the airworthiness of legacy fighter platforms and the pace of modernisation.

Jaguar: A Workhorse Under Strain

The Jaguar, a twin-engine deep penetration strike aircraft, has been a frontline asset for the IAF since the 1980s. India currently operates around 120 Jaguar aircraft across six squadrons. While several have been upgraded with advanced avionics and navigation systems, the platform remains structurally old and increasingly maintenance-intensive.

All three Jaguar crashes this year have involved aircraft on routine training or familiarisation sorties, not combat missions, raising questions about systemic technical faults or ageing airframes, rather than extreme operational conditions.

Reforms and Upgrades

Despite the accidents, the Ministry of Defence maintains that the overall crash rate has declined in the last two decades. According to official data:

• The accident rate was 0.93 per 10,000 flight hours between 2000 and 2005.
• It dropped to 0.27 from 2017 to 2022.
• Between 2020 and 2024, the rate further declined to 0.20.

This improvement has been attributed to the modernisation of aircraft systems, enhanced pilot training, and rigorous safety audits. Between 2017 and 2022, the IAF conducted 34 crash investigations, resulting in multiple procedural and technical reforms.

However, experts argue that while the helicopter fleet has seen noticeable improvements in safety, older fighter jets like the Jaguar and MiG-21 remain vulnerable. Budgetary delays and procurement bottlenecks have made it harder to phase them out rapidly.

Modernisation Imperative

As India plans to induct more advanced platforms, such as the Rafale, Tejas Mk-2, and the future AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft), the Air Force continues to rely on ageing fighters like the Jaguar to maintain its squadron strength.

Currently, the IAF is operating below the sanctioned strength of 42 fighter squadrons, which intensifies the need to preserve and upgrade older jets, often at a higher cost and risk.

Meanwhile, defence sources confirmed that the IAF has launched a Court of Inquiry into the Churu crash to determine the cause and assess any systemic issues.

Team BharatShakti