NEW DELHI: A French-made Mirage 2000 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed on Thursday during a routine training mission near Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh state. The IAF confirmed that both pilots ejected safely after the aircraft encountered a system malfunction.
“A Mirage 2000 aircraft of the IAF crashed near Shivpuri (Gwalior), during a routine training sortie today, after encountering a system malfunction. Both the pilots ejected safely. An inquiry has been ordered by the IAF, to ascertain the cause of the accident,” the IAF said in a post on X.
A Mirage 2000 aircraft of the IAF crashed near Shivpuri (Gwalior), during a routine training sortie today, after encountering a system malfunction. Both the pilots ejected safely.
An enquiry has been ordered by the IAF, to ascertain the cause of the accident.
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) February 6, 2025
The Indian media reports claim that the two-seater aircraft crashed after encountering a system malfunction.
The Mirage 2000, a multirole fighter jet developed by France’s Dassault Aviation, made its maiden flight in 1978. It was officially inducted into the French Air Force in 1984.
According to Dassault’s website, 600 units of the Mirage 2000 were manufactured, with half of them exported to eight countries, including India. The aircraft also has a single-seater variant.
India’s fighter jet fleet is regarded as considerably aging, with many combat aircraft, including the MiG-21, Mirage 2000, and Jaguar, approaching the end of their operational service.
In November last year, an Indian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jet crashed in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra. The IAF confirmed the aircraft suffered a “system malfunction” before the crash. The pilots had ejected safely.
On September 2 last year, a MiG-29 crashed in Barmer, Rajasthan. The Indian Air Force attributed the incident to a “critical technical snag.”
