•A Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed at Jaisalmer during an operational training sortie.
•This is the first crash of the indigenous jet since its maiden flight on January 4, 2001.
•“The pilot ejected safely. A Court of Inquiry has been constituted to find out the cause of the accident,” the IAF said.
•The incident took place as the tri-Service fire power demonstration exercise Bharat Shakti was under way at Pokhran.
•The IAF currently operates two LCA squadrons and is set to add the third squadron shortly.
•The maiden flight of the first technology demonstrator took place on January 04, 2001. It was christened the Tejas in 2003.
•The LCA achieved initial operation clearance in December 2013 and the final operational clearance in February 2019.
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed a combined demonstration of indigenous defence equipment in tri-services live fire and manoeuvre exercise Bharat Shakti at Pokhran in Rajasthan.
•Mr. Modi noted that in the last 10 years, equipment worth ₹6 lakh crore had been procured from Indian companies.
•Over 150 defence start-ups have taken off and defence forces have given them orders worth ₹1,800 crore, he noted.
•Exercise Bharat Shakti simulated realistic, synergised, multi-domain operations displaying integrated operational capabilities of the Indian armed forces to counter threats across land, air, sea, cyber, and space domains.
•Top-line equipment manufactured in India was put through the paces, over a 50-minute duration, including T-90 (IM) tanks, Dhanush and Sarang artillery guns, Akash surface-to-air system, logistics drones, robotic mules, light combat aircraft and advanced light helicopters.