NEW DELHI – Two Indian Air Force pilots were killed Friday when theirFrench-built Mirage 2000 aircraft crashed minutes after take-off.
The single-engine jet fighter aircraft manufactured by Dassault Aviationwas on a test flight after an upgrade carried out by India´s HindustanAeronautics Limited (HAL).
“Both occupants sustained fatal injuries… Investigation into the cause ofaccident is being ordered,” the defence ministry said in a statement.
Local media reports said the pilots tried to eject but were caught inflames as the plane exploded at the HAL airport in the southern city ofBangalore. No one was hurt on the ground.
India had signed a $2.4 billion deal with France in 2011 to upgrade 51Mirage 2000 fighters, which were purchased in the mid-1980s, with newelectronic warfare systems and radar.
Last week, the Economic Times daily said the upgrade of the multi-roleaircraft had been hit by production delays on part of HAL.
Crashes involving fighter planes are not uncommon in India which is in themidst of upgrading its Soviet-era military.
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Most of the accidents involve the MiGs that India bought decades ago fromthe Soviet Union, earning it the unflattering “flying coffin” tag.
Last July, the pilot of an MiG-21 jet died after the fighter jet crashed innorthern Himachal Pradesh state.
India is investing billions of dollars in modernising its air force asfears grow over increasing cooperation between its arch-rival Pakistan andChina.
New Delhi has signed a contract to purchase 36 Dassault Rafale fightersfrom France for $8.8 billion. The jets are expected to be delivered laterthis year. – APP/AFP
