India's "Shining" Fighter Jet Involved in Serious Accident, Indian Media: Suspected Brake Failure, Damaged After Skidding Off Runway

[Global Times Report, Reporter Guo Yuandan] According to reports from Indian media on the 23rd, an Indian Air Force "Tejas" fighter jet recently veered off the runway while returning to base after completing training, resulting in severe damage to the aircraft, but no casualties were reported. This is the third major incident since the delivery of the "Tejas" fighter jet in 2015, and each incident has drawn significant attention from the public.

According to reports from several Indian media outlets, including the Times of India and India Today, an Indian Air Force "Tejas" fighter jet reportedly experienced a brake failure at an air force base on the 7th of this month, veering off the runway and sustaining severe damage, although the pilot safely ejected.

The Indian Air Force has not yet issued an official statement regarding this incident, but reports from Indian media cite sources saying that preliminary assessments indicate the cause of the accident is suspected to be a technical failure, possibly involving a malfunction of onboard systems. Subsequently, the Indian Air Force has urgently grounded all approximately 30 single-seat "Tejas" fighter jets and will conduct a comprehensive technical inspection.

The "Tejas" fighter jet is a single-engine multi-role light combat aircraft developed and manufactured independently by India. The first production model of the "Tejas" was delivered in January 2015. There have now been three major incidents.

"The 'Tejas' fighter jet currently faces numerous issues, but considering its service time, the three incidents themselves are not particularly outrageous. However, every time a major fault or accident occurs with the 'Tejas' fighter jet, it attracts significant media attention both in India and globally, mainly due to the project's inherent complexities and contradictions, with many of its problems perhaps predetermined by the indecisiveness during the project's implementation," said Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of Aviation Knowledge magazine, to a Global Times reporter on the 24th. This also indicates a high level of skepticism from the public regarding the performance of the 'Tejas' fighter jet.

It is reported that there is considerable internal conflict regarding the "Tejas" fighter jet project in India, as it contains two obvious conflicting factors. Wang Yanan analyzed, "On one hand, when India initiated this project, it demonstrated great strategic determination, aiming to achieve a high level of autonomy in modern fighter aircraft and to create a high-performance fourth-generation fighter jet made in India. On the other hand, during the project's advancement, India has continuously encountered technical difficulties and various challenges, covering multiple aspects such as engines, avionics, key materials, and overall aerodynamic design. India has found that it cannot solve these problems solely relying on its existing domestic capabilities. Consequently, while continuously delaying project progress, India began to seek foreign technical assistance, ultimately choosing engines from the United States, radars from Israel, flight control and avionics from France, and ejection seats from the United Kingdom."

Indian media mentioned that although the Indian Air Force has ordered 180 "Tejas" Mk1A fighter jets, the delivery schedule is nearly two years behind the original plan. Its manufacturer, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, has repeatedly missed deadlines for delivering the "Tejas" fighter jets to the Indian Air Force.

Military expert Song Zhongping stated to a Global Times reporter on the 24th that the Indian military's large-scale procurement of "Tejas" fighter jets is mainly driven by political considerations. In reality, the Indian Air Force and Navy are not very interested in the "Tejas" fighter jet and prefer to choose imported aircraft. The main issue is that this aircraft largely relies on components purchased from other countries for assembly, and due to restrictions from foreign technology, the "Tejas" fighter jet cannot be delivered on time.