A MiG-27 fighter jet crashed in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, during a training session on Tuesday evening. Luckily, there was no causality reported this time and the pilot ejected safely. This is the second crash involving an Indian Air Force fighter aircraft this month.

On February 2, a Mirage 2000 trainer aircraft had crashed soon after taking off from HAL airport in Bengaluru. Unfortunately, both the pilots - Squadron Leader Siddartha Negi and Squadron Leader Samir Abrol were martyred.

MiG-27 of Indian Air force
 Mig-27 of Indian Air Force, Credits: Reuters

Confirming the crash, an Indian Air force official said: "A MiG-27 aircraft airborne for a training mission from Jaisalmer crashed at around 1810 hours near Pokhran Range. The pilot ejected safely. A court of inquiry will investigate the cause of the accident."

The aircraft took off at 5.20 pm from Jaisalmer Air force station. As per reports, debris of aircraft was spread over more than three kilometres. The IAF is scheduled to conduct the Vayu Shakti Exercise at Pokharan range on February 16. A full dress rehearsal will also be conducted on February 14.

It is to be noted that this is the second MiG-27 which has crashed in just over six months. On September 3, 2018, a fighter aircraft had gone down in an agriculture field in Jodhpur's Banad area during a routine session.

MiG 27 crash
A crashed MiG-27 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) at Bhotputti village  West Bengal  [Representational Image]Reuters