IAF-Su-30 jet goes missing near Tezpur

A Su-30 MKI fighter jet of the Indian Air Force on Tuesday has lost its radio contact with the ground station, raising fears of yet another crash of the front line combat aircraft.

"A Su-30 aircraft, airborne from Tezpur in Assam on a routine training mission lost radar and radio contact approximately 60 km north of Tejpur. The aircraft is overdue and action have been initiated," IAF sources said. This is the second Su-30 accident this year after the March 15 Su-30 crash near Utarlai airbase of Barmer in Rajasthan. That time both pilots ejected safely.

The Tezpur incident is the eighth crash of the Su-30 MKI fighters in the last eight years. Since 2009, every alternate year saw going down of these mighty birds that remained the mainstay of the IAF since the last decade. More than 250 Su-30 MKIs are in the service at the moment.