MiG-23 crashes in Punjab; pilot safe

A MiG-23 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed in Moga district of Punjab on Wednesday morning.

According to an officer of the New Delhi-based Western Air Command, no casualty has been reported, with the pilot making a safe ejection. The plane is believed to have crashed in the SK firing ranges near Halwara.

The jet, piloted by Flight Lieutenant Bharat Kumar, took off at around 7.30 hours on a routine exercise. "Sometime later it crashed", the officer said.

He said it is too early to predict what went wrong with the jet.

This is the first crash of a MiG-23 this financial year. Last year, three MiG-23s had crashed.

Inducted in 1981, the MIG-23s are air superiority fighters used in ground attack roles. The IAF has two squadrons of the aircraft.

Moga, June 26, 2002 (PTI)