The MiG-21 aircraft was on a routine mission and crashed after getting airborne from the Nal airbase near Bikaner. The pilot of the aircraft ejected safely, the spokesperson said.
Bikaner: A MiG-21 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Rajasthan's Bikaner district on Friday with the pilot ejecting safely, a defence ministry spokesperson said.
The aircraft was on a routine mission and crashed after getting airborne from the Nal airbase near Bikaner. The pilot of the aircraft ejected safely, the spokesperson said.
He said that a court of inquiry would investigate the cause of the accident.
Bikaner SP Pradeep Mohan Sharma said the MIG aircraft crashed in Shobhasar ki Dhani, 12 km from Bikaner city.
He said police teams have rushed the spot to cordon off the area. No loss of life has been reported.
A few days ago the jet was celebrated after Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman shot down a Pakistan F-16 jet with his MiG-21 Bison during a fierce dogfight on February 27.
Varthaman had fired an R-73 missile to take out the F-16 aircraft, however, his jet was also hit by an AMRAAM missile and crashed on the enemy territory.
On February 12, another MiG-27 jet crashed in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer. The pilot of the fighter jet managed to eject safely.
Also read: MiG 27 fighter aircraft crashes in Jaisalmer; pilot ejects safely
According to the officials, the crash took place near Pokharan range at around 6:10 pm after the plane took off for a training mission from the Jaisalmer air force station.
Last year, an MiG-27 aircraft had crashed in Jodhpur, also in Rajasthan.
The MiG-27 jet is a Soviet Union-designed fighter aircraft and is among the several fighter jets that the Indian Air Force operates. The Indian Air Force also operates the MiG 21 and the MiG 29.
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