An Indian Air Force HAL Tejas fighter jet crashed during a demonstration at the Dubai Airshow, resulting in the tragic loss of the pilot . The incident has drawn sharp criticism from defence analysts, who say the crash exposes deep-seated structural flaws and raises serious questions about the credibility of India's indigenous defence industry and its export ambitions .
The HAL Tejas, a combat aircraft built by India’s state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, crashed on the final day of the biennial Dubai Air Show . The Indian Air Force confirmed the pilot "sustained fatal injuries" and announced that a court of inquiry is being constituted to determine the cause . The crash occurred in front of a crowd of spectators, with videos and images showing the aircraft engulfed in flames and thick black smoke . This public failure is a significant blow to India's efforts to present the Tejas as a modern and reliable fighter jet on the global stage.
Defence analysts have been quick to point to what they see as fundamental problems within India's defence production ecosystem. Analyst Zaigham Khan stated that the crash highlights that India’s defence manufacturing and procurement standards “are not at the level required for producing a frontline fighter aircraft” . He further suggested that both the quality of the aircraft and potential shortcomings in pilot preparation for high-risk displays may have contributed to the accident .
Concerns about the jet's build quality were reportedly visible even before the crash. Social media circulated images that appeared to show oil leaking from a Tejas aircraft at the show, though Indian authorities had dismissed these claims as "false" and "baseless propaganda" . Analyst Brigadier (R) Masood Khan argued that “no corrective action was seen, and the crash became the final nail in the coffin” for the jet's reputation .
This incident brings into focus the wider issues plaguing India's defence procurement system, which is often described as being stuck in bureaucratic paralysis . Major defence projects in India are notoriously delayed. The Tejas program itself, initially sanctioned in 1983, took 36 years to be inducted into service, and the manufacturer, HAL, continues to struggle with production bottlenecks and delivery delays .
The system has also been marred by high-profile corruption scandals, such as the AgustaWestland helicopter scam and the Rafale deal controversy, which point to a deep-seated rot in the defence establishment . Critics argue that this culture of corruption and inefficiency directly impacts the quality and reliability of India's military hardware .
The crash is a significant setback for India's ambitions to become a major arms exporter and counter the growing military cooperation between China and Pakistan . While India's Tejas program has been sluggish, the joint Pakistan-China JF-17 fighter program has been producing jets at a steady rate and has even secured exports to other countries . The failure at a premier international event like the Dubai Airshow is likely to dampen any potential international interest in the Tejas, undermining India's strategic goal of achieving defence self-reliance and a global footprint .