ISLAMABAD: The Indian Air Force (IAF) said early Friday that a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet crashed during a training mission in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, hours after the aircraft was reported missing.
In a statement posted on X, the air force said the aircraft went down in a remote area of Karbi Anglong district.
“The Su-30MKI, which was on a training mission, crashed in the area of Karbi Anglong, Assam, approx 60 km from Jorhat,” the IAF said in the post.
The force added that search operations are underway, though it did not immediately confirm the status of the crew.
The aircraft had earlier lost contact after taking off from the region late Thursday, triggering search efforts in the surrounding area.
Indian journalist Amandeep Flora said the aircraft disappeared near the city of Jorhat before the crash was confirmed.
“Indian Air Force Sukhoi-30 MKI went missing near Jorhat, Assam. Pilot status — UNKNOWN. Search operation launched. Court of Inquiry ordered,” Flora wrote on X.
He added that the incident highlights the scale of the loss. “India's most advanced fighter jet. Missing over its own soil. This is India's 12th Su-30 MKI lost,” he said.
Flora also noted the timing of the crash as global attention remains focused on intensifying tensions in the Middle East.
“While the world watches Iran, India just lost a fighter jet in Assam,” he wrote.
The crash comes amid broader global security concerns following escalating tensions in the Middle East, where recent US–Israeli strikes on Iran have triggered retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the Gulf, prompting air defense alerts and raising fears of wider regional instability.
