Two Indian Air Force pilots lost their lives when a twin-seater Jaguar trainer crashed near Churu in Rajasthan on 9 July 2025. The aircraft had taken off from Suratgarh air base for a routine mission. The IAF confirmed the tragedy on its official X handle.
"An IAF Jaguar Trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan today. Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident. No damage to any civil property has been reported. IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families in this time of grief. A court of inquiry has been constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident," Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC)
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma also expressed his sorrow, "Received the tragic news of an Indian Air Force aircraft crashing in the Ratangarh area of Churu district. Immediately after the incident, the administration is on alert mode, and instructions have been given to officials for relief and rescue operations. May God grant the departed souls a place at His divine feet and give the grieving families the strength to bear this immense sorrow. Om Shanti!"
This is the third Jaguar crash this year alone, following incidents in Haryana in March and Jamnagar in April.
The missing safety net: No auto-ejection
Modern jets like the Rafale or Su-30MKI come with automatic ejection seats. If a pilot blacks out, or the jet exceeds dangerous roll or altitude limits, the seat fires itself. But the Jaguar’s Martin-Baker seat is old tech. It only works if the pilot physically pulls the handle — which is impossible if they’re unconscious or disoriented. No handle pulled, no seat fired. That’s all there is to it.
Seconds to react: The low-level gamble
Jaguars don’t fly high and proud. They hug the ground, skimming at 100–200 feet at over 800 km/h to dodge radar and strike deep. That leaves pilots with seconds to spot trouble and eject. Bird strike, engine flameout, sudden blackouts — with no auto-eject, a split-second delay is fatal. History shows this risk isn’t hypothetical. Many pilots in strike aircraft have paid the price when those precious seconds slipped by.
How pilots prepare for the worst
IAF Jaguar pilots train relentlessly. They practise split-second ejection drills, bird strike scenarios, speed reflex tests. They know they’re the last line of defence. But even the best pilot is human. No one can react if they’re out cold. That’s why modern ejection systems fire themselves when the pilot can’t.
Why not just upgrade it?
Adding an auto-ejection system isn’t simple. It means rewiring the cockpit, adding sensors, updating software. The Jaguars are over three decades old, many closing in on retirement. The IAF has chosen to spend its money on navigation upgrades and operational safety instead. The DARIN-III programme, new radars, and mission systems get priority. It’s a hard trade-off, but not surprising.
Jaguar: India’s strike sword
The SEPECAT Jaguar first joined the IAF in 1979, named Shamsher, meaning Sword of Justice. Built to fly under radar, hit deep targets and carry heavy bombs or nuclear payloads, it did exactly that. It served in the Kargil conflict and numerous border standoffs. For over four decades, the Jaguar has trained India’s strike pilots and guarded the nation’s skies.
The engine that held it back
There’s always been one sore point: the Jaguar’s Rolls-Royce-Turbomeca Adour Mk811 engines. Many pilots say they’re simply underpowered. Not enough thrust, limited agility, not ideal for modern weapons loads. Over the years, the fleet has seen more than 50 accidents, big and small. Many trace back to the engine’s limits.
A plan to fit Honeywell F125-IN engines was on the table for nearly a decade. In 2019, it was scrapped. Re-engining each jet would have cost Rs 190 crore, plus another Rs 20 crore for modifications. The numbers didn’t add up for an aircraft nearing retirement.
The last of its kind
Most countries retired their Jaguars years ago. India is the last to keep them flying. From the original 145 inducted, built partly in the UK and partly by HAL under licence, only a fraction remain. The Jaguar’s role — a dedicated strike jet — is vanishing too. New fighters like the Tejas Mk1A, Rafale, and the upcoming AMCA do everything: air-to-air, air-to-ground, electronic warfare. One jet, many jobs.
Another crash means more questions. Is the Jaguar the new MiG-21, forced to fly beyond its time? As one former test pilot told EurAsian Times, "As the aircraft age, they all go through the same thing. Jaguar is the new MiG-21 because that is the oldest fighter in the IAF. Just that."
Retirement is inevitable now. The cost of keeping the Jaguar in the air keeps rising — in money and lives.
The Jaguar won wars before they even began, by being ready for deep strike. It gave India reach and power when it mattered most. But every great machine has its time. For the IAF’s Jaguars, that time is almost done. The pilots who flew it, the engineers who kept it alive, and the generations who learned from it — they carry the real legacy forward.
Newer jets will protect pilots the way pilots once protected the Jaguar. And that’s exactly how it should be.
"An IAF Jaguar Trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan today. Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident. No damage to any civil property has been reported. IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families in this time of grief. A court of inquiry has been constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident," Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC)
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma also expressed his sorrow, "Received the tragic news of an Indian Air Force aircraft crashing in the Ratangarh area of Churu district. Immediately after the incident, the administration is on alert mode, and instructions have been given to officials for relief and rescue operations. May God grant the departed souls a place at His divine feet and give the grieving families the strength to bear this immense sorrow. Om Shanti!"
This is the third Jaguar crash this year alone, following incidents in Haryana in March and Jamnagar in April.
The missing safety net: No auto-ejection
Modern jets like the Rafale or Su-30MKI come with automatic ejection seats. If a pilot blacks out, or the jet exceeds dangerous roll or altitude limits, the seat fires itself. But the Jaguar’s Martin-Baker seat is old tech. It only works if the pilot physically pulls the handle — which is impossible if they’re unconscious or disoriented. No handle pulled, no seat fired. That’s all there is to it.
Seconds to react: The low-level gamble
Jaguars don’t fly high and proud. They hug the ground, skimming at 100–200 feet at over 800 km/h to dodge radar and strike deep. That leaves pilots with seconds to spot trouble and eject. Bird strike, engine flameout, sudden blackouts — with no auto-eject, a split-second delay is fatal. History shows this risk isn’t hypothetical. Many pilots in strike aircraft have paid the price when those precious seconds slipped by.
How pilots prepare for the worst
IAF Jaguar pilots train relentlessly. They practise split-second ejection drills, bird strike scenarios, speed reflex tests. They know they’re the last line of defence. But even the best pilot is human. No one can react if they’re out cold. That’s why modern ejection systems fire themselves when the pilot can’t.
Why not just upgrade it?
Adding an auto-ejection system isn’t simple. It means rewiring the cockpit, adding sensors, updating software. The Jaguars are over three decades old, many closing in on retirement. The IAF has chosen to spend its money on navigation upgrades and operational safety instead. The DARIN-III programme, new radars, and mission systems get priority. It’s a hard trade-off, but not surprising.
Jaguar: India’s strike sword
The SEPECAT Jaguar first joined the IAF in 1979, named Shamsher, meaning Sword of Justice. Built to fly under radar, hit deep targets and carry heavy bombs or nuclear payloads, it did exactly that. It served in the Kargil conflict and numerous border standoffs. For over four decades, the Jaguar has trained India’s strike pilots and guarded the nation’s skies.
The engine that held it back
There’s always been one sore point: the Jaguar’s Rolls-Royce-Turbomeca Adour Mk811 engines. Many pilots say they’re simply underpowered. Not enough thrust, limited agility, not ideal for modern weapons loads. Over the years, the fleet has seen more than 50 accidents, big and small. Many trace back to the engine’s limits.
A plan to fit Honeywell F125-IN engines was on the table for nearly a decade. In 2019, it was scrapped. Re-engining each jet would have cost Rs 190 crore, plus another Rs 20 crore for modifications. The numbers didn’t add up for an aircraft nearing retirement.
The last of its kind
Most countries retired their Jaguars years ago. India is the last to keep them flying. From the original 145 inducted, built partly in the UK and partly by HAL under licence, only a fraction remain. The Jaguar’s role — a dedicated strike jet — is vanishing too. New fighters like the Tejas Mk1A, Rafale, and the upcoming AMCA do everything: air-to-air, air-to-ground, electronic warfare. One jet, many jobs.
Another crash means more questions. Is the Jaguar the new MiG-21, forced to fly beyond its time? As one former test pilot told EurAsian Times, "As the aircraft age, they all go through the same thing. Jaguar is the new MiG-21 because that is the oldest fighter in the IAF. Just that."
Retirement is inevitable now. The cost of keeping the Jaguar in the air keeps rising — in money and lives.
The Jaguar won wars before they even began, by being ready for deep strike. It gave India reach and power when it mattered most. But every great machine has its time. For the IAF’s Jaguars, that time is almost done. The pilots who flew it, the engineers who kept it alive, and the generations who learned from it — they carry the real legacy forward.
Newer jets will protect pilots the way pilots once protected the Jaguar. And that’s exactly how it should be.
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