This Is Exclusive: India’s Ageing Jaguar Fighter Jet Crisis | Siddharth Yadav

This Is Exclusive: Lieutenant Siddharth Yadav from Rewari, Haryana, made a life-saving split-second decision that protected countless civilians. As his aircraft went down, he bravely maneuvered it away from a heavily populated area, averting a major catastrophe. In a final act of courage, he ensured his co-pilot's safety by ejecting him first, before sacrificing his own life.

But this incident points to broader concerns about India’s ageing Jaguar fleet — the same jet that Siddharth was flying. Since 2017, there have been more than 30 accidents involving Jaguars.

A hard-hitting 2017 report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) flagged critical shortcomings in India’s defense aviation, particularly the lack of autopilot systems in Jaguar jets.

As per the report, only 35 of the 108 Jaguars in operation are fitted with autopilots, which significantly affects their performance and mission readiness. The report also highlighted long-standing delays and bureaucratic red tape in fitting these essential systems, raising serious concerns about the efficiency of India’s defense procurement process.