Third Tejas Jet Damaged on Landing Earlier This Month, Entire Tejas Fleet Grounded

A Tejas light combat aircraft of the Indian Air Force sustained significant airframe damage after overshooting the runway at a frontline airbase earlier this month, marking the third reported incident involving the indigenous fighter aircraft. The pilot ejected safely , and no casualties were reported , authoritative sources said.

The incident occurred on February 7 , when the aircraft was returning from a routine training sortie , with a suspected brake failure believed to have led to the overshoot. There was no immediate official disclosure , with details emerging only after it became public.

Following the mishap, the IAF grounded the entire fleet of around 30 single-seat Tejas jets to carry out extensive technical inspections , sources said. The IAF has so far not issued an official statement on the incident.

This is the third accident involving the Tejas platform . In March 2024 , a Tejas jet crashed near Jaisalmer , while another aircraft was lost during an aerial display at the Dubai Airshow in November 2025 .

After reports of the incident surfaced, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) issued a clarification stating there was no “crash” , describing the episode as a “minor technical incident on ground.” The company did not dispute that the aircraft had suffered damage and said it was working closely with the IAF to analyse the incident.

The latest mishap comes at a time when the Tejas programme is under scrutiny due to delays in the delivery of the Tejas Mk-1A variant . In February 2021 , the defence ministry signed a ₹48,000-crore contract with HAL for 83 Tejas Mk-1A jets , followed by another ₹62,370-crore deal in September 2025 for 97 additional aircraft . Deliveries have been delayed primarily due to engine supply shortfalls from GE Aerospace .

The Tejas , a single-engine multi-role fighter , is a key element of the IAF’s modernisation plans and is designed for air defence, maritime reconnaissance and strike missions in high-threat operational environments .