IAF Grapples With Alarming Pilot Death Toll

Faizan Hashmi Published May 02, 2025 | 02:40 PM

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd May, 2025) The Indian Air Force (IAF) has witnessed a significant number of pilot casualties over the past 30 years, primarily due to poor safety standards and inadequate operational preparedness.

The sources revealed that more than 150 IAF fighter jet pilots have lost their lives in over 550 air accidents during this period. The number of pilots killed in daily accidents in IAF is 30 times higher than the casualties during the Kargil War, they said.

Sources said that MiG-21 aircraft, still in service with the IAF, are often referred to as “Flying Coffins” or “Widow Makers” due to their high accident rate. The Primary causes of these fatalities include human error, technical failures, and substandard training practices, sources said.

On April 2, 2025, a Jaguar aircraft crashed during a night training sortie in Jamnagar, resulting in the death of Lieutenant Siddharth Yadav.

In a similar string of incidents, two fighter jets, including a Jaguar, crashed on the same day in March 2025. In November 2024, a MiG-29 fighter jet went down near Agra, Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier, in January 2023, a mid-air collision between a Sukhoi Su-30 and a Mirage 2000 in Madhya Pradesh resulted in multiple casualties.

On December 8, 2021, 13 officers including General Bipin Rawat were killed in a helicopter crash, they said.

In 2019, a MiG-21 Bison being flown by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was shot down in Pakistani airspace.

Defense analysts have raised serious concerns about the IAF’s operational readiness and safety protocols in light of the high number of aircraft accidents and pilot fatalities.