A new father, the eldest son... The story of 2 IAF pilots killed in Jaguar plane crash in Rajasthan

Two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots died after a Jaguar fighter aircraft crashed in Rajasthan’s Churu district on Tuesday.

The pilots have been identified as Squadron Leader Lokendra Singh Sindhu (44) and Flight Lieutenant Rishi Raj Singh (23).

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Squadron Leader Sindhu was a native of Rohtak in Haryana, while Flight Lieutenant Singh was from Pali in Rajasthan.

Notably, this incident was the third crash of a Jaguar aircraft since March. In April, an IAF Jaguar went down in Gujarat, killing one pilot. Another crash took place in Haryana in March.

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So, who were the two pilots, and what do we know about the crash so far?

Let’s take a look:

Who were the 2 pilots killed in the crash?

1. The two Indian Air Force pilots who died in the crash have been identified as Squadron Leader Lokendra Singh Sindhu and Flight Lieutenant Rishi Raj Singh.

2. Lokendra Singh had recently become a father. Reports said his wife gave birth to a baby boy on June 10 and was still at her maternal home when the news of his death reached the family.

3. The Squadron Leader was from Rohtak in Haryana. According to reports, he got married during the Covid period and joined the Indian Air Force in 2016.

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4. Lokendra Singh was the youngest of three siblings. His brother works at a multinational company, and his sister has recently completed her service as a short-service commissioned officer in the air force, The Times of India reported.

5. Meanwhile, Rishi Raj Singh was from Pali in Rajasthan. After finishing school, he joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune, where he completed a three-and-a-half-year course before joining the Indian Air Force, Bhaskar English reported.

6. His father runs a hotel business, and his mother is a homemaker. He has a younger brother who is currently studying in class 12 in Jodhpur.

7. Reports also said that Singh’s parents had recently started looking for a bride for him.

The Jaguar fighter aircraft crash

The crash took place near Bhanuda village in Rajasthan’s Churu district on Tuesday.

The incident took place in the Ratangarh area and led to a quick response from the police and emergency services.

In a post on X, the Indian Air Force said a court of inquiry has been set up to find out what led to the crash.

“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,” the IAF posted on its official X account.

Eyewitnesses said the aircraft seemed to lose control in the air before crashing into a field.

The Jaguar aircraft used by the Indian Air Force is an older model that has undergone several upgrades over time. India currently operates around 120 of these jets, which are spread across six squadrons.

The Jaguar was first inducted into the Air Force in 1979. Most of the jets in service were built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited under a transfer of technology agreement with SEPECAT, a joint venture between France’s Breguet and the British Aircraft Corporation.