An Indian Tejas fighter jet crashed during an aerial display at the Dubai Air Show

[rafale]

Please see these screenshots from Video 1 (top). Notice the Engine.

First manouver we can clearly see the after burner, but cant on second attemt before crash.
View attachment 161534
View attachment 161535
View attachment 161537

Smoke, Failed attempt.
View attachment 161538

Engine Dark just before hitting the ground/
View attachment 161539

experts with better footage can try and look into this too.

You can see in Video 2 as well, Dark dead engine,, no glow, nothing....

Entirely possible at that angle and due to Dubai's ambient temperature, compressor went into a stall or engine had flameout..........FDR data would be crucial to see what was engine status seconds before impact.

 

[Pakistan Space Agency]

LCA - Flying Rickshaw: Record of Crashes

No.​	Date​	Block​	Serial Number​	Crash Site​
01​	12 March 2024	Mark-1A​	LA-5020​	Lakshmi Chand Sanwal Colony, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India
02​	21 November 2025	Mark-1​	LA-5026​	Dubai Air Show, Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai, UAE

 

[PakSword]

What I don't understand is this: Between the April 22 Pahalgam attack and the May 7, 2025 Pakistan-India conflict, this forum was discussing the upcoming Indian response. There were already rumors about Turkish cargo planes landing in Pakistan, loaded with drones. There were already rumors about the Chinese PL-15 flown into Pakistan on emergency basis--the main question discussed was: What was the range of those PL-15 and even rookies like were discussing that topic. So how could the Indians miscalculated something which even the rookies in a defense forum were discussing before India had the debacle on May 7?!! What am I missing?!!

The Indian mentality forces always learn the lesson the hard way. If you have watched their TV shows, Bollywood movies and online debates, you have probably noticed that they always refer to Indian invincibility. Just think, if the whole nation is being constantly reminded that even China is no match to Indian forces, what do you expect from them when it comes to Pakistan?

Regarding the PL-15 and drones, I have seen many defence analysts claiming that PL-15 is no match to the missiles on Rafales, and that their air defence system is far better than any other system so the drones or Pakistani missiles were not a problem. There was an analyst who even suggested the Indian government to provide AD cover to Israel to stop Iranian missiles. They brag so much that they start believing their own shit. Their officers are no different.

Pakistanis always consider India a worthy opponent. We have always said that Brahmos missile is superior to any missile in our inventory. We, still after shooting down multiple Rafales, consider these jets as a considerable threat. Indians don't consider anything in Pakistani inventory worthy of being paid any kind of attention. Of course, a nation that says that J-20 will fall like dead birds from the sky in any indo-Chinese conflict, you can expect them to discredit any and all of the things coming from China and Turkey to Pakistan.

I firmly believe that all the inputs in the TV programs come from serving officers of Indian forces. No one is stupid enough to just start telling in live shows that J-20 is equivalent to SU-30 by himself. These kind of ridiculous ideas definitely come from the serving lot.

 

[rafale]

The Indian mentality forces always learn the lesson the hard way. If you have watched their TV shows, Bollywood movies and online debates, you have probably noticed that they always refer to Indian invincibility. Just think, if the whole nation is being constantly reminded that even China is no match to Indian forces, what do you expect from them when it comes to Pakistan?

Regarding the PL-15 and drones, I have seen many defence analysts claiming that PL-15 is no match to the missiles on Rafales, and that their air defence system is far better than any other system so the drones or Pakistani missiles were not a problem. There was an analyst who even suggested the Indian government to provide AD cover to Israel to stop Iranian missiles. They brag so much that they start believing their own shit. Their officers are no different.

Pakistanis always consider India a worthy opponent. We have always said that Brahmos missile is superior to any missile in our inventory. We, still after shooting down multiple Rafales, consider these jets as a considerable threat. Indians don't consider anything in Pakistani inventory worthy of being paid any kind of attention. Of course, a nation that says that J-20 will fall like dead birds from the sky in any indo-Chinese conflict, you can expect them to discredit any and all of the things coming from China and Turkey to Pakistan.

I firmly believe that all the inputs in the TV programs come from serving officers of Indian forces. No one is stupid enough to just start telling in live shows that J-20 is equivalent to SU-30 by himself. These kind of ridiculous ideas definitely come from the serving lot.

Which defense analysts claim PL15 is not a match to Indian AA missiles arsenal? The only comparable one in India is Meteor and Meteor is clearly outgunned and outranged by the PL15......which too is of older iteration........

I can see French 'anal'ysts make such claims because its their product on the line.......but China is far ahead of the French and Europeans in fielding AA missiles and systems to guide them, i.e. AESA radars.

Meteors failed.
SPECTRA failed.

You can only defend overpriced shit to a certain extent, so lets call spade a spade. J-10CE with long range PL15s and data links a superior package to over priced Rafales. You have to be extremely retarded and stupid to believe in the bullshit OMNIROLE brochure. There is no chance for any jet (4.5gen) to survive in multi domain warfare. Unless Rafales get a longer range Meteor or AA missiles, the results will be exactly the same. French or any European aircraft has no AA record or kill against a capable adversary.

It is hard to believe Indians didn't have Meteors on their Rafales that night.........and assuming they did, then its a bigger question why Rafale's couldn't scan the sky and launch one?

 

[UndercoverJIX]

Entirely possible at that angle and due to Dubai's ambient temperature, compressor went into a stall or engine had flameout..........FDR data would be crucial to see what was engine status seconds before impact.

I do not understand what angle and Temp has to do anything here?

So, during combat, Tejas need to watch at what angle its turning???

ESPECIALLY DESIGNED TO operate in extreme weather condition, deserts to Himaliyas.

 

[SABRE]

Yeah but Tejas is deliberately designed unstable so it can't be flown stable by a human no matter how competent the pilot is. I think India went a bit too ambitious with their first major indigenous aircraft.

Its not just Tejas. Modern aircraft are generally designed to be aerodynamically unstable. This provides the aircraft super-maneuverability and has little to do with pilot's competency. The FBW system electronically stabilizes the aircraft on its axis.

 

[Ibbi32]

The Chinese Air Force was established in 1949, and the Korean War broke out in 1950.

At the outbreak of the War, China only had six air divisions. Most of the fighter jets were aircraft left behind by the Japanese Air Force in China during World War II, and only about 400 MIG-15s from the Soviet Union.

I don't know how the US shot down so many fighter jets according to the data you released. The total number of jets in the entire Chinese Air Force at that time was not even half of this figure. Moreover, China's MIG-15 were less than the US's F-86.

It is important to know that throughout the war, the Chinese Air Force completed their strategic task. That is, they defended the Mig corridor, ensuring the logistical route for the volunteer army.

It is well known that once the korean war broke out the soviets provided to China mig-15s openly and trained them who in turn trained the north koreans. It should be noted that these numbers do not well represent the losses per nation fighting as hundreds of kpaf and Vvs officers flew under Chinese flag and were likely double counted. That said a 5:1 kill ratio by end of the war between sabres and migs is rather accurate and although I don’t know much about Chinese sources i can show you some excellent English speaking sources for air combat in the korean war

 

[Vapnope]

Can some please educate me, why are the Indians blaming the American engine? The results of any report are yet to be released...

Because the Indians cannot make mistakes, their products are above american and Russian products, they are the bestest in the world.

 

[rafale]

I do not understand what angle and Temp has to do anything here?

So, during combat, Tejas need to watch at what angle its turning???

ESPECIALLY DESIGNED TO operate in extreme weather condition, deserts to Himaliyas.

I work with large air breathing, combusting turbo machinery. Stable Air flow through compressor is a big big thing.

Now in my case, its a stationary machine generating hundreds of MW of power. In case of an aircraft, especially a combat jet, the air intakes are specifically designed to ensure compressor always has enough air flow through it. So that is why i am just hypothesizing that something like this could happen.........sudden changes in AoA, airflow, temperature of the air affects the performance of turbo machinery more than most think.

So just putting a hypothesis out there......would be happy to be proven wrong with facts and learn more.

Could be pilot error as well or simple mechanical failure.

 

[Michael]

Just today, a US military MQ-9B UAV stationed in South Korea crashed. At the same time, a Japanese MQ-9B UAV suffered propeller damage when its propeller struck the ground during landing.

India also has MQ-9B UAVs.

So... will India follow suit?

 

[F.O.X]

This crash cannot be compared with incidents involving established fighters. Platforms like the F-16, F-18, Gripen, or even JF-17 have logged tens of thousands of flight hours, decades of operational use, and mature safety records before occasional accidents occur. Those crashes happen in the context of well-validated airframes, proven engines, and thoroughly stress-tested systems.

Tejas, on the other hand, is still a young platform with limited operational hours, an evolving design, and ongoing integration issues. A crash at this stage highlights concerns about its developmental maturity, reliability under stress, and the pace at which it is being inducted without fully resolving core technical challenges.

It is also important to note that crashes during air shows are not the same as those during regular flights. The aircraft sent for air shows are usually the best available examples, flown under extreme conditions to demonstrate performance. This makes such incidents more a reflection of testing limits than routine operational reliability.

While crashes can happen with any aircraft, the significance is different. For a mature platform it is usually an isolated event. For a developing one, especially in high profile demonstrations, it raises questions about design stability, testing sufficiency, and long term dependability.

 

[Vkdindian1]

Tejas was performing displays perfectly fine till that fateful day.

Many people are trying to find everything wrong with Tejas now. Delta wings, poorly designed intakes, Too small, incapable FBW etc etc.

It may not be the best fighter out there and it is definitely a delaaaaayed project but many of the assumptions being made appear to be exaggerated.

It was performing similar displays at various locations in as harsh or worse environmental conditions. One example is Aero India displays at Bengaluru. It’s higher altitude as well as higher temperatures. It has been operating out of Ladakh, which has been known to be very harsh on any aircraft during summer months.

Something went wrong that day, which isn’t known yet. But would be known soon.

Speculation is definitely a likelihood after an accident. But, many of those seem to be wild ones with seemingly no basis.

 

[Musings]

Tejas was performing displays perfectly fine till that fateful day.

Many people are trying to find everything wrong with Tejas now. Delta wings, poorly designed intakes, Too small, incapable FBW etc etc.

It may not be the best fighter out there and it is definitely a delaaaaayed project but many of the assumptions being made appear to be exaggerated.

It was performing similar displays at various locations in as harsher or worse environmental conditions. One example is Aero India displays at Bengaluru. It’s higher altitude as well as higher temperatures. It has been operating out of Ladakh, which has been known to be very harsh on any aircraft during summer months.

Something went wrong that day, which isn’t known yet. But would be known soon.

Speculation is definitely a likelihood after an accident. But, many of those seem to be wild ones with seemingly no basis.

Agree bro.

More evidence and expert witnesses suggest it was an unfortunate error or medical issue with the poor pilot. The speculation is next level. What i get frustrated is when on the first day or 2 Indian members were portioning blame immediately on him and trying to put a shining torch on the plane. Thats disrespectful....

 

[PakSword]

Which defense analysts claim PL15 is not a match to Indian AA missiles arsenal? The only comparable one in India is Meteor and Meteor is clearly outgunned and outranged by the PL15......which too is of older iteration........

Just look at the headline from your mainstream channel..

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[MH.Yang]

It is well known that once the korean war broke out the soviets provided to China mig-15s openly and trained them who in turn trained the north koreans. It should be noted that these numbers do not well represent the losses per nation fighting as hundreds of kpaf and Vvs officers flew under Chinese flag and were likely double counted. That said a 5:1 kill ratio by end of the war between sabres and migs is rather accurate and although I don’t know much about Chinese sources i can show you some excellent English speaking sources for air combat in the korean war

You are clearly wrong. The Soviet Union trained North Korean pilots, but the number was very small. Most Chinese pilots were trained by Japanese officers (Japanese pilots who were left behind in China after WW2), with only a small number of pilots trained by Soviet instructors.

Moreover, the training time for Chinese pilots is very short, with less than a year of training before they can fly planes and participate in combat. The number of Chinese pilots is also small and lacks experience, almost all of whom have grown rapidly in wars.

The quantity of MIG-15 obtained by China is not much, much less than the F-86 from the United States. I don't know why some people believe that the US Air Force is at a technological and numerical disadvantage?

The Chinese Air Force is able to achieve better exchange rates because almost all of these pilots are veterans who have fought for decades and are not afraid of death. Secondly, the Chinese Air Force is in a defensive position, not only with a large amount of anti-aircraft fire cover, but also with a large number of bombers in the US fleet.

Most of the English data comes from the US military. I believe the data released by the US for its own losses is correct. But the US data on number of aircraft shot down is absurd, it is even far more than the number of aircraft possessed by China. The number of Chinese aircraft lost should be based on the data released by Chinese government.