DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The pilot of an Indian combat plane died after the aircraft crashed Friday during a demonstration flight for spectators at the Dubai Air Show, the Indian Air Force said.
The Indian HAL Tejas, a combat aircraft used in the Indian Air Force, crashed around 2:10 p.m. local time after the pilot had flown across the site of the biennial air show in Dubai several times.
The plane appeared to lose control and dive directly toward the ground just prior to crashing inside the grounds of the airfield.
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.
The Indian government 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.
