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A fresh, high-resolution video of the Indian Air Force’s HAL-built Tejas fighter jet crash at the Dubai Airshow has sparked renewed debate over low-altitude aerobatics safety and the future of India’s flagship light combat aircraft. Shot by an aviation enthusiast and uploaded late Friday, the clip shows Wing Commander Namansh Syal completing a negative-G turn barely 100 m above the runway before the jet nosedives, erupts into a fireball and—milliseconds later—reveals a parachute canopy, suggesting a last-second ejection attempt that came too late. Key takeaways • First fatality in Tejas’ 10-year service history • Court of Inquiry ordered; HAL, IAF and DGCA to examine flight-data recorder • Crash occurs as India pushes a $5 bn Tejas export pipeline with Argentina, Egypt and the Philippines What the video reveals Frame-by-frame analysis indicates the aircraft entered its barrel-roll recovery lower than the standard display envelope. Defence analysts say the pilot may have tried to salvage the manoeuvre to preserve the jet’s near-spotless record, delaying ejection until altitude was unrecoverable. Immediate fallout 1. Airshow circuit: Dubai organisers have suspended fast-jet demos pending a safety audit. 2. Export optics: Negotiators from Buenos Aires and Manila have sought briefings on the accident probe, but MoD officials insist the crash was “pilot-induced, not platform-induced.” 3. Domestic politics: Opposition leaders are asking why the IAF risked a solo negative-G routine just weeks before a major Tejas Mk-2 funding vote in Parliament. What’s next • Technical board will study flight-control software logs for possible negative-G tolerance issues. • HAL engineers may retrofit an automatic ground-collision avoidance system (Auto-GCAS) across the fleet. • The IAF aerobatic handbook is expected to tighten minimum-altitude thresholds for future airshow routines. Bottom line The Tejas crash is a tragic first for India’s indigenous fighter programme and a critical test of transparency as New Delhi courts global buyers. Swift publication of inquiry findings and visible safety upgrades will be vital to keep confidence—and export negotiations—aloft.