Dispur, March 6: Two Indian Air Force pilots lost their lives late Thursday when their Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft crashed in the Karbi Anglong district of Assam. The fatal incident occurred near Chokihola during a scheduled training flight, marking a significant loss for the air force fleet.
Squadron Leader Anuj and Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar sustained fatal injuries in the accident, according to a statement issued by the IAF on Friday morning. The Russian-origin jet had departed from the Jorhat airbase before it disappeared from radar screens.
Contact with the aircraft was lost at approximately 7:42 pm on Thursday evening. Search teams later located the wreckage about 60 kilometers south of the Jorhat base. Officials affirmed that an internal team has been constituted to investigate the specific circumstances leading to the crash and to ascertain the facts of the flight’s final moments.
The Sukhoi-30MKI serves as a backbone of the IAF’s combat strength, with more than 260 of these multi-role long-range fighters currently in operation. While designed by Russia’s Sukhoi, the aircraft are now manufactured under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in India.
This tragedy follows previous incidents involving the same aircraft model, including a crash in Maharashtra’s Nashik district in June 2024 and another near Gwalior in early 2023.
