Jaipur/Jaisalmer: A MiG-27 aircraft of the Indian Airforce crashed on Tuesday evening at Jaisalmer while on a training mission, though there were no casualties as the pilot ejected safely.Confirming the incident an IAF official said, “A MiG-27 aircraft airborne for a training mission from Jaisalmer crashed at around 18.10 hours near Pokhran range. A court of inquiry will investigate the cause of the accident.”According to eyewitnesses the aircraft was on its routine firing practice when it apparently developed a technical snag due to which it caught fire and landed on the ground with a big explosion. The area of the crash has been cordoned off by the local police and IAF personnel who reached the spot shortly after the incident. The pilot ejected safely and there has been no civilian casualty as well.This is the second MiG-27 which has crashed in Rajasthan in just over six months as the same make fighter aircraft crashed in an agriculture field in Jodhpur’s Banad area during a routine mission on September 3.Indian Airforce has been in the news since the beginning of this month for aircraft crashes and the age of these machines being flown by the IAF pilots. On February 2, a Mirage 2000 trainer aircraft crashed soon after taking off from HAL airport here, killing two Indian Air Force officers — Squadron Leaders Siddartha Negi and Samir Abrol. Both were test pilots at IAF’s aircraft and systems testing establishment.Since 2015 till September 2018, there have been 22 IAF aircrafts that have crashed resulting in deaths of 40 defence personnel.Sources claim that the pilot has been injured lightly. He was taken to Airforce Chandan Range via air ambulance as there is no facility of landing helicopter at the crash site. He was given first aid and thereafter airlifted to Jodhpur for further medical assistance.Meanwhile, IAF is currently practicing for the Exercise Vayu Shakti scheduled for February 16 in Pokhran range which is a biennial event that showcases the firepower capacity of the Indian Air Force.The exercise will include combat manoeuvres and live firing of air-to-ground and air-to-air precision weapons by fighters, transport aircraft and helicopters.A total of 137 aircrafts including fighters, helicopters and others will be participating in this exercise out of which seven are MiG-27 UPG. However, the IAF have refused to confirm whether the aircraft which crashed was part of the exercise.

Stay updated with all the Latest Jaipur headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.