The Tejas crash at the Dubai Air Show on 21 November 2025, which killed the pilot and marked the second loss of a Tejas airframe in under two years, is a sobering milestone in the long arc of India’s indigenous fighter program. Deployed to showcase operational maturity to potential export partners, the aircraft’s failure on a global stage has immediate strategic and reputational consequences, prompting a domestic reassessment of whether the Light Combat Aircraft represents a triumph of indigenization or a catalogue of systemic delays.
With roughly 900 verifiable operational hours logged, two losses in such a short service span raise uncomfortable questions about reliability, maintenance regimes, and the pace of introduction into public displays. The earlier Jaisalmer accident in 2024 was treated by some as an isolated engine seizure; the Dubai crash, witnessed by the aerospace elite, suggests a pattern that demands rigorous, transparent investigation and urgent corrective action to restore confidence in the program.
Immediate Aftermath Tejas Crash in Dubai
In the hours after the accident, attention naturally focused on rescue efforts, eyewitness footage, and official statements. A court of inquiry and technical inspections are the right first steps; they are necessary to establish whether the cause was mechanical failure, pilot error, environmental factors, or a combination. While investigations proceed, speculation fills the void. That is why timely, factual briefings from investigators are essential to prevent rumor from hardening into misleading narratives.
The Nature of Airshows and Risk
Airshows are inherently risky. They compress demanding flight regimes into short, public performances at low altitude and often over populated areas. The very manoeuvres that demonstrate an aircraft’s agility also reduce margins for recovery. Organizers and participating militaries must therefore adopt conservative display envelopes, insist on rigorous pre‑flight checks, and resist commercial or diplomatic pressures that encourage riskier demonstrations. Safety protocols that are appropriate for training ranges do not automatically translate to crowded international venues.
Safety Culture and Technical Maturity
The Tejas program represents a major indigenous effort and, like many homegrown platforms, has undergone iterative development. Technical teething problems are not unusual in such program, but repeated incidents invite scrutiny of maintenance practices, quality control, and the pace at which new capabilities are introduced into public operations. A mature safety culture treats every anomaly as an opportunity to learn rather than a reputational threat to be contained. That requires candid internal reporting, independent technical audits, and a willingness to pause public displays until confidence is demonstrably restored.
A Constructive Look at IAF Practices
A measured critique of the Indian Air Force is warranted, not as an exercise in blame but as a call for institutional self‑examination. The IAF has long been respected for its professionalism, but professionalism also demands transparency and humility. In high‑visibility incidents, the tendency to issue tightly worded statements and await internal conclusions can be interpreted as opacity.
A softer, more constructive approach would be to combine prompt factual updates with a clear commitment to independent review and to publish non‑sensitive findings that can reassure the public and international partners. Moreover, the IAF should reassess policies that allow frontline or developmental aircraft to undertake aggressive public displays before their operational reliability is fully proven.
Recommendations
Commission an independent technical audit by an external panel of aviation experts to review the Tejas’s design, maintenance records, and operational procedures for display routines; adopt stricter, standardized display protocols with conservative manoeuvre limits and clear go/no‑go criteria for all international airshows; commit to transparent communication by providing regular, factual updates during investigations and publishing non‑classified findings to build public trust; prioritize training and maintenance investment, more simulator hours, upgraded maintenance infrastructure, and tighter supply‑chain quality assurance, to reduce latent technical risks; and pursue cultural reforms that encourage reporting of near‑misses as learning opportunities and protect personnel who raise safety concerns.
Conclusion
The Tejas crash at the Dubai Airshow is a tragedy that demands both empathy and action. Honoring the fallen pilot means more than ritual condolences; it requires a sober appraisal of the systems and decisions that allowed the risk to materialize. The Indian Air Force, HAL, and procurement authorities must respond with openness, technical rigor, and a renewed commitment to safety over spectacle. If lessons are learned and reforms implemented, the loss will not be in vain; if not, the same vulnerabilities will remain exposed the next time an aircraft takes to the skies for public display.
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