IAF Sukhoi-30 MKI That Went Missing After Take-Off Crashes In Assam's Karbi Anglong; Search Underway

The IAF said the Su-30MKI, which had taken off on a training sortie, went down in the Karbi Anglong area, about 60 km from Jorhat.

The Sukhoi-30 MKI crashed about 60 km from Jorhat after take-off. IAF said a search operation is underway.

Source : ANI

A Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed on Thursday in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district, the IAF said, adding that search operations are currently underway to locate the aircraft.

There was no immediate information about the pilots on board.

In a brief statement, the IAF said the Su-30MKI, which had taken off on a training sortie, went down in the Karbi Anglong area, about 60 km from Jorhat. “Search operations are underway,” the statement said.

#WATCH | Karbi Anglong, Assam: The IAF Su-30MKI, which was on a training mission, crashed in the area of Karbi Anglong, Assam, approx 60 km from Jorhat. Search operations are underway. pic.twitter.com/YeSCevmSGn

— ANI (@ANI) March 6, 2026

Earlier, officials had indicated that the aircraft went missing soon after departing from the Jorhat airbase.

Contact with the Russian-origin fighter jet was lost at 7:42 pm, they said.

The Su-30MKI is a twin-seat, multirole, long-range fighter aircraft developed by the Russian aerospace company Sukhoi. It is currently manufactured under licence in India by HAL for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

A local told news agency ANI that he saw a plane coming down in the evening on Thursday. "We saw a fighter plane in the evening, and it was coming down... We heard a loud noise and an explosion... The police from the Chowki Wala police station are here. They are searching for him from the helicopter... There is no trace of the pilot. Till now, nothing has been found," he said.

#WATCH | Karbi Anglong, Assam: A local says, "...We saw a fighter plane in the evening, and it was coming down... We heard a loud noise and an explosion... The police from the Chowki Wala police station are here. They are searching for him from the helicopter... There is no trace… https://t.co/PSJPD3DD0Y pic.twitter.com/TJhkz7qoDA

— ANI (@ANI) March 6, 2026

The IAF operates a fleet of more than 260 Su-30MKI aircraft. In June 2024, a Sukhoi fighter jet had crashed in Maharashtra’s Nashik district. Another Su-30 aircraft had crashed in January 2023 after taking off from the Gwalior airbase.