On Camera, Pilot Ejects From Crashing Tejas, Parachutes To Safety

The Tejas fighter jet, India's indigenous fighter jet, crashed today in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer near a hostel complex. The pilot ejected safely from the aircraft but the jet was up in flames. The Indian Air Force has ordered a court of inquiry.

A video of the pilot ejecting from the jet showed the fighter jet gliding at a low altitude. The jet glides right to left in the camera frame and the pilot opens the parachute and descends toward the ground.

The Tejas, which is not manned, is losing altitude and crashed on the ground of the student's hostel several metres away. A white parachute is seen coming down. 

The pilots pull the ejection seat and explosives under the seat blow the canopy of the fighter jet and throw the pilot up in the air. The rockets under the seat direct the pilot in a safe direction and parachutes are deployed. During ejection, the pilots experience high g-forces reaching up to 20 times the force experienced on earth, which can cause severe injuries and can even bar them from flying.

Zero-Zero Ejection Seat

Ejection seats lift the pilot out of the aircraft to a safe distance, then deploy a parachute to allow the pilot to land safely on the ground. Tejas uses the British-manufactured, Martin Baker, zero-zero ejection seats. 

The zero-zero ejection seats are designed to eject pilots from zero position i.e. stationary position at a considerable height to deploy parachutes. Zero position refers to zero altitude or zero speed. In the video of the crash, the pilot can be seen ejecting safely from several feet above the ground. 

The zero-zero capability was developed to help pilots escape from unrecoverable situations during low-altitude or low-speed flights as well as ground mishaps during takeoff or landing. 

The ejection seat is part of the overall 'Egress' system, which means the "way to exit". The system includes explosives under the seat, the canopy, and parachutes. The angle of ejection is crucial. The fighter jet moves forward and the line of ejection is perpendicular to it to move the pilot away from the aircraft. 

The Tejas Programme

In a twin-seater fighter jet, the co-pilot ejects first and then the lead pilot who sits in front. The temperature of the air blast during ejection is very high and if the lead pilot ejects first, then the co-pilot may suffer serious burn injuries.  

Tejas is a single-seater fighter aircraft and a twin-seat trainer variant is also operated by the Air Force. The Indian Navy also operates the twin-seater variant. The first test flight of the Technology Demonstrator-1 (TD-1) took place in 2001. The maiden flight of the Second Series Production (SP2) Tejas aircraft of Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) configuration took place on March 22, 2016.  

Light Combat Aircraft Tejas is a 4.5-generation multi-role fighter aircraft and is designed to take offensive air support and provide close combat support for ground operations. 

Tejas is the smallest and lightest aircraft in its class and the dimensions and the extensive use of composite structure make it lighter.