India's Tejas fighter jet crashed on Friday during a flying display at the Dubai Air Show, sending black smoke over Al Maktoum International Airport as shocked spectators looked on. The aircraft, identified as an Indian HAL Tejas taking part in a demonstration, went down at around 2:10 pm local time. 

#BREAKING: LCA Tejas fighter crashes at Dubai Air Show#Dubai #DubaiAirShow

- Anish Singh (@anishsingh21) November 21, 2025

BREAKING: Indian #Tejas fighter jet crashes during a display at the #DubaiAirShow. Updates on pilot status twitter/NzHPv4IvYS

- Sarcasm (@sarcastic_us) November 21, 2025

Emergency sirens were heard immediately after the crash. Officials have not yet confirmed whether the pilot managed to eject. The Dubai Air Show, held at the city's second airport, had been drawing global attention this week for major aircraft orders from Emirates and FlyDubai.

IAF LCA Tejas jet crashes & bursts into flames. The pilot was killed instantly, visuals from Dubai Air Show 25! A clear video of the crash while performing the maneuver! twitter/vfoJTSbGbH

- Chauhan (@Platypuss_10) November 21, 2025

About the HAL Tejas fighter jet 

The HAL Tejas is a single-engine, multi-role light combat aircraft created in India through a joint effort between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA). The name 'Tejas', which means radiance in Sanskrit, was adopted in 2003. The delta-wing jet is largely home-grown, and its newer Mark 1A version includes modern avionics, an AESA radar and stronger electronic warfare features.

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