An Indian Navy MiG-29K carrier-based multirole fighter aircraft crashed over the Arabian Sea on 26 November, multiple news outlets reported.
The Indian Navy press release said that a MiG-29K fighter jet, which was operating in the Arabian Sea, crashed at around 5 p.m. on Thursday.
According to an update released by Inidna officials, one pilot has been rescued, a search operation is on for the second pilot who has been missing since Thursday evening.
According to the Indian Navy website, the MiG 29K aircraft is a state of the art, all-weather, carrier-based, air dominance fighter specially built for the Indian Navy. The aircraft has a maximum speed over twice the speed of sound (about 2000 kmph), can pull up to 8 times the force of gravity, can climb to an altitude of over 65000 feet.
Indian Navy has contracted for the acquisition of 16 MiG 29K/KUB carrier-based fighter aircraft with RAC MiG on 20 Jan 04. Aircraft deliveries began on Dec 09 and all 16 aircraft of the Main Contract have been delivered and accepted by the Indian Navy. An option clause contract for 29 additional aircraft was also signed on 08 Mar 2010.