Indian fighter jet crashes at Dubai Air Show, killing pilot

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An Indian fighter jet crashed Friday at the start of a demonstration flight in front of a crowd of spectators at the Dubai Air Show, killing its sole pilot.

The Indian HAL Tejas smashed into the ground at the vast Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, sending a vast fireball into the air and thick black smoke into the sky. Police vehicles, ambulances and a helicopter rushed to the site of the crash, spraying firefighting foam to extinguish the blaze.

Onlookers, including families who gathered in a grand stand for the end of the air show Friday, gasped in horror and disbelief at the crash in this city-state in the United Arab Emirates. The airplane appeared to have lost control and dove directly toward the ground.

The Indian Air Force confirmed the crash and said “the pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident.”

“IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief,” it said in a statement. It said “a court of inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident.”

Emirati crash investigators also will investigate the crash.

The city-state’s second airport hosts the biennial Dubai Air Show. This year’s edition saw major aircraft orders by both the long-haul carrier Emirates and its lower-cost sister airline FlyDubai.

“Firefighting and emergency teams responded rapidly to the incident and are currently managing the situation on-site,” the Dubai Media Office, which responds to crises in the sheikhdom, said on X.

An SUV bearing diplomatic plates flying the Indian flag was seen at the site, along with police and emergency personnel.

The air show resumed flight demonstrations about an hour and a half afterward, with the Russian Knights flying overhead as emergency crews still worked the crash site.

Tejas is India’s indigenous fighter aircraft, built by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The lightweight, single-engine jet is expected to bolster India’s depleted fighter fleet as China expands its military presence in South Asia, including by strengthening defense ties with India’s rival Pakistan.

In September, India’s Defense Ministry signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, or HAL, to procure 97 Tejas jets for the air force. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2027.

The Indian government also signed a deal with HAL in 2021 for 83 Tejas aircraft. Deliveries, expected last year, have been delayed largely because of shortages of engines that must be imported from the United States.

On Thursday, India’s Press Information Bureau rejected some social media claims alleging that a Tejas aircraft had experienced an oil leak while on display at the air show. In a statement on X, it called the posts “false” and said they were attempts to undermine the “fighter’s proven technical reliability with baseless propaganda.”

It was unclear whether the aircraft in question was the one that crashed on Friday. Social media footage showed some kind of liquid dripping from the aircraft into gathered bags beneath it.

“The videos show routine, intentional draining of condensed water,” the military said. “This is a standard procedure for aircraft operating in humid conditions, like those in Dubai.”

Dubai has seen high humidity and fog over the last two days as the seasons change in this nation on the Arabian Peninsula.

A Tejas fighter jet crashed in the western Indian state of Rajasthan last year, but the pilot ejected safely in that incident.

Saaliq reported from New Delhi.

阿联酋迪拜——周五，一架印度战斗机在迪拜航展上进行表演飞行时坠毁，当时现场有众多观众，机上唯一的飞行员不幸遇难。

印度HAL Tejas战斗机在迪拜世界中心的阿勒马克图姆国际机场坠毁，巨大的火球冲天而起，浓浓的黑烟直冲云霄。警车、救护车和直升机迅速赶到坠机现场，喷洒灭火泡沫扑灭大火。

周五航展结束后，包括一些家庭在内的围观者聚集在看台上观看，目睹了这起发生在阿联酋城邦的坠机事故，他们都惊恐万分，难以置信。飞机似乎失去了控制，径直坠向地面。

印度空军证实了这起坠机事件，并表示“飞行员在事故中受了致命伤”。

印度空军在一份声明中表示：“对人员伤亡深表遗憾，并将在此刻与遇难者家属站在一起。”声明还表示：“目前正在成立调查委员会，以查明事故原因。”

阿联酋事故调查人员也将对这起事故展开调查。

迪拜第二大机场每两年举办一次迪拜航展。今年的航展上，长途航空公司阿联酋航空及其低成本姊妹航空公司迪拜航空都下了大笔飞机订单。

负责应对酋长国危机的迪拜媒体办公室在X上表示：“消防和应急小组迅速对事件做出反应，目前正在现场处理情况。”

现场出现了一辆挂着外交牌照、飘扬着印度国旗的SUV，以及警察和紧急救援人员。

大约一个半小时后，航展恢复了飞行表演，俄罗斯勇士飞行表演队在空中飞过，而紧急救援人员仍在坠机现场进行救援。

“光辉”战斗机是印度自主研发的战斗机，由国营的印度斯坦航空有限公司制造。这款轻型单引擎喷气式战斗机有望增强印度日渐衰弱的战斗机机队实力，因为中国正在扩大其在南亚的军事存在，包括加强与印度的竞争对手巴基斯坦的防务关系。

今年9月，印度国防部与印度斯坦航空有限公司（HAL）签署合同，为空军采购97架“光辉”（Tejas）战斗机。预计将于2027年开始交付。

印度政府于2021年与印度斯坦航空有限公司（HAL）签署了一项采购83架“光辉”（Tejas）战斗机的协议。原定于去年交付的飞机，由于必须从美国进口的发动机短缺，交付工作已被推迟。

周四，印度新闻信息局驳斥了社交媒体上一些关于“光辉”（Tejas）战斗机在航展展出期间发生漏油的说法。该局在X平台上发表声明，称这些帖子“不实”，并表示这是“企图用毫无根据的宣传来破坏该战斗机久经考验的技术可靠性”。

目前尚不清楚这架飞机是否就是周五坠毁的那架。社交媒体上的视频显示，某种液体从飞机上滴落到下方的袋子里。

军方表示：“视频显示的是例行的、有计划的冷凝水排放过程。这是在潮湿环境下（例如迪拜）运行的飞机的标准程序。”

过去两天，随着阿拉伯半岛这个国家季节的更迭，迪拜出现了高湿度和雾霾天气。

去年，一架“光辉”战斗机在印度西部拉贾斯坦邦坠毁，但飞行员在那次事故中安全弹射逃生。

萨利克从新德里报道。