MiG 27 aircraft crashes after take-off from Jodhpur, no words on pilot

A MiG 27 UPG (upgraded) aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed on Sunday morning when it was on a routine mission from Jodhpur in Rajasthan. It was not clear whether the pilot ejected safely. The fighter jet crashed in Godana near Sheoganj in Sirohi District of the state.  Police and administrative officials have reached the spot to cordon off the area, Sirohi district SP, Kalyan Mal Meena said.

"Today morning at around 1145h a MiG-27 UPG aircraft which got airborne from Utarlai Air Force base experienced engine problems leading to a crash about 120 km south of Jodhpur. Pilot ejected safely. Preliminary reports indicate no loss of property/life on ground,"  ANI reported.

EXCLUSIVE visuals of MiG 27 UPG which crashed in Rajasthan's Jodhpur

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The sources said a court of inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the accident.

Earlier this month, a MiG-21 fighter aircraft crashed in Rajasthan's Bikaner district with the pilot ejecting safely. The aircraft took off from the Nal airbase for a routine mission and crashed at Shobhasar ki Dhani area, 12 km from Bikaner city, the officials said.

“Initial inputs indicated the likely cause as bird hit after take-off,” IAF spokesperson Group Captain Anupam Banerjee had said.

MiG-27 is a variable-geometry ground-attack aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. Unlike MiG-23, the MiG-27 was mostly restricted to use in Russia.