A MiG-27 Flogger ground attack aircraft
of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has crashed in the country's east, the
third crash of a plane of this type in India this year, a spokesman for
the Indian Army Eastern Command said.
The crash took place at 08:25 am local
time (02:25 GMT) some 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of the Kalaikunda
air base in West Bengal state.
"The pilot managed to eject and is
unharmed. The crash did not cause casualties or destruction on the
ground," Mahesh Upasani said, adding that investigation into the crash
was under way.
An MiG-27 aircraft crashed in West
Bengal in February near the Hashimara military base, killing the pilot
and causing all MiG-27 flights to be suspended for a short period of
time.
Another MiG-27 plane crashed into a
village in the region in July during a routine training flight, killing
a local resident and injuring 10 others.
The MiG-27 aircraft was originally
built in the former Soviet Union in the mid-1970s before it was
licensed to be produced in India.
India has about 150 MiG-27 planes, known as the Bahadhur (Brave) in the IAF.
According to the military, a current upgrade program will keep the MiG-27 operational for another 10 years.
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