IAF grounds Tejas fleet after near-accident; jets miss Vayu Shakti
The Indian Air Force has grounded its Tejas fleet for safety checks after an incident at or near Nalia airbase on February 7 amid reports of suspected brake failure.
The pilot sustained minor injuries; there was no ejection.
HAL, which builds the jets, described the event as a minor technical incident on the ground and stressed that Tejas is still among the safest fighters out there.
Both HAL and IAF are now working together to figure out what went wrong.
Tejas jets missed big Vayu Shakti rehearsal
Because of the grounding, Tejas jets missed today's big Vayu Shakti 2026 rehearsal—and they might not make it for the main event on February 27 either.
This would be the third such incident since Tejas joined the fleet, according to some reports.
Still, IAF isn't backing down: they've ordered a total of 180 Tejas jets to replace old MiG-21s, even though deliveries have been delayed by engine shortages.
It's a reminder that modernizing India's air force comes with real-world bumps along the way.