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A Tejas airy combat craft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) sustained large harm to its airframe aft it overshot the runway astatine a frontline airbase pursuing a suspected brake nonaccomplishment earlier this month, authoritative sources said connected Sunday (February 22, 2026).
The aviator of the craft ejected safely, they said.
It is learnt that the craft was returning to the basal aft carrying retired a grooming sortie.
There was nary authoritative connection from the IAF connected the mishap that took spot connected February 7.
Following the incident, the IAF grounded the full fleet of astir 30 single-seat Tejas jets to transportation retired an extended method scrutiny, the sources said.
It was the 3rd mishap involving the Tejas jets. The first 1 took spot successful March 2024, erstwhile a Tejas pitchy crashed adjacent Jaisalmer.
The second incidental took spot successful November 2025, erstwhile a Tejas pitchy crashed during an aerial show astatine the Dubai Airshow.
The latest mishap comes astatine a clip erstwhile Tejas shaper Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has missed respective deadlines to proviso the Tejas Mark 1A variant of the craft to the IAF.
In February 2021, the Defence Ministry sealed a ₹48,000 crore woody with HAL for the procurement of 83 Tejas Mk-1A jets for the IAF.
The transportation of the jets is facing delays chiefly owed to GE Aerospace missing respective deadlines for the proviso of its aero engines to powerfulness the jets.
The Defence Ministry successful September past twelvemonth sealed different woody worthy ₹62,370 crore with HAL to procure 97 Tejas MK-1A airy combat craft for the IAF.
Tejas is simply a single-engine multi-role combatant craft susceptible of operating successful high-threat aerial environments.
It has been designed to undertake aerial defence, maritime reconnaissance and onslaught roles.
