A heartbreaking tragedy has brought the country together. Tejas, India's light combat aircraft fighter jet and heart of its self-reliance in the skies, crashed at the Dubai Air show Friday. The pilot, Wing Commander Namansh Syal, couldn’t eject, and lost his life. He is survived by his wife, also an air force officer, and a 6-year-old daughter. Tejas has an excellent safety record, with only one crash last March in Jaisalmer due to engine failure. At that time, the pilot ejected safely. But this year’s tragedy is heart-wrenching at so many levels—a national loss, a reputational loss and an irrecoverable loss of a qualified, experienced and skilled fighter pilot. For this episode of 'Worldview with Swasti', former fighter pilot Group Captain Ajay Ahlawat and I will break down many more layers of this unfortunate incident, its technical issues, the reputational damage to the Indian Air Force at a time when India's squadron strength is lowest, and its geopolitical impact amid a worsening security situation. Not to forget that while India lost an excellent fighter at Dubai, the Pakistan-China co-developed JF 17 got fresh orders at the same venue. How to analyse it best, keeping disinformation at bay and yet adding more constructive measures for strengthening India's politico-military culture.
