by Indigenous aircraft proves gravity still works
In a stunning demonstration of Newton’s laws, India’s homegrown Tejas fighter jet decided to get up close and personal with Mother Earth, effectively grounding the nation’s ambitious export dreams faster than you can say “Make in India.” The crash has left defense analysts scratching their heads and potential international buyers frantically updating their spreadsheets.
The Tejas, which translates to “radiance” in Sanskrit, certainly radiated something on impactthough “confidence in Indian aerospace engineering” wasn’t quite it. Defense Ministry officials were quick to point out that the pilot ejected safely, which is great news for the pilot but less reassuring for countries that were considering purchasing a fleet of these gleaming indigenous aircraft.
“Look, every great fighter jet has crashed at some point,” explained one optimistic defense spokesperson while nervously adjusting his collar. “The Americans, the Russians, even the Frenchthey’ve all had their moments. We’re just… joining an exclusive club.” When pressed about whether this “exclusive club” was one potential buyers wanted to join, he quickly changed the subject to India’s thriving IT sector.
The timing couldn’t be worse for India’s defense export ambitions. Just weeks ago, officials were confidently predicting that the Tejas would be flying off the production line and into the arsenals of nations across Asia and beyond. Now, those same officials are presumably flying to those countries to explain that “occasional unplanned ground contact” is just part of the fourth-generation fighter experience.
Defense analysts note that this incident might actually be a blessing in disguiseit’s certainly generating more international press coverage than the aircraft ever received while successfully staying airborne. “All publicity is good publicity,” one analyst quipped, before quickly adding, “except when it involves your flagship military aircraft creating a new crater.”
The incident has also sparked a wave of creativity on Indian social media, with users suggesting alternative marketing slogans like “Tejas: Now with enhanced terrain-mapping capabilities” and “So advanced, it can find the ground in any weather.” The hashtag #TejasTouchdown began trending, though not in the way the Ministry of Defense had hoped.
Meanwhile, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has assured everyone that this is merely a “minor setback” in an otherwise stellar recordstellar being the operative word, as that’s where the aircraft is supposed to stay. Engineers are reportedly working around the clock to determine what went wrong, though early reports suggest it might have something to do with “the aircraft meeting the ground at a velocity and angle not specified in the operational manual.”
SOURCE: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/tejas-crash-dampens-export-hopes-indian-fighter-jet-2025-11-23/
SOURCE: Bohiney.com (https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/tejas-crash-dampens-export-hopes-indian-fighter-jet-2025-11-23/)
