Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has been pushing for local manufacturing as India seeks to shed its reputation as one of the world’s biggest importers of defense equipment.
The light combat jet, called Tejas, meaning flame or brilliance in Sanskrit, was inducted into the force in 2016 after a long wait in India’s efforts to modernize its largely Soviet-era fleet.
Tuesday’s crash breaks the jet’s safety record since its first test flight more than two decades ago, an Air Force officer told Reuters.
Modi set out big ambitions last year to more than triple the value of annual defense exports to $5 billion by 2025 from 2023 levels and his government has been making diplomatic efforts to export the Tejas.
The Indian government in 2021 gave a $6 billion contract to state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for 83 Tejas jets.