The article dissects Pakistan's propagandistic response to the TEJAS crash at Dubai, exposing how Islamabad's narrative—designed to undermine India's defence-manufacturing credentials—collapses against empirical evidence, institutional commitment, and structural realities of global defence procurement.

An Indian Air Force TEJAS fighter jet crashed during aerobatic display at the Dubai Air Show, resulting in the pilot's fatal injury. Whilst India mourned, Pakistan's propaganda apparatus mobilised swiftly, leveraging social media to advance a familiar narrative: that TEJAS is unsafe, unreliable, and unsuitable for export. This response reveals not genuine aviation safety concerns, but rather strategic anxiety over India's advancing defence-manufacturing ambitions.

Pakistan's core assertion—that a crash proves platform failure—collapses under historical scrutiny. Air-show crashes reflect the inherent risks of aerobatic flying, not aircraft defects. The first major air-show fatality occurred in 1910 when Charles Rolls, co-founder of Rolls-Royce, died after his Wright Model A disintegrated during a display.

In 1988, three Italian Air Force MB-339s collided mid-air at Germany's Ramstein Air Base, killing 70 spectators. Even the world's most advanced jets, operated by elite pilots, have suffered catastrophic air-show accidents. Spatial disorientation—the likely cause of the TEJAS crash—remains a documented risk in high-G manoeuvres, particularly during low-altitude displays.

Recent incidents underline this reality. A Polish Air Force F-16C crashed due to spatial disorientation; a U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds F-16C met the same fate during an air-show practice in Idaho.

These incidents triggered no international debates about F-16 reliability, nor did any nation question the fighter's fundamental capability. Pakistan's sudden indignation over the TEJAS crash appears less like genuine concern and more like opportunistic politics, exploiting tragedy for strategic gain.

The reality Pakistan wishes global buyers to overlook is straightforward: TEJAS possesses an exceptional safety record for a young fighter platform. The aircraft's first flight occurred in 2001. In the 24 years since, only two crashes have been recorded—one in Rajasthan in 2023 and the recent Dubai incident.

This represents a loss rate favourably positioned against legacy platforms. The F-15, F-16, and Gripen all possess significantly higher incident rates over comparable operational periods, demonstrating TEJAS' engineering maturity and developmental discipline.

Understanding why Pakistan's narrative gains limited traction requires examining India's commitment to indigenous fighter-jet development. The TEJAS program transcends a single weapons system; it represents strategic autonomy, industrial capacity-building, and ecosystem maturation within the aerospace sector. India has committed to procuring 220 TEJAS aircraft, including two operational squadrons.

In 2021, the government authorised a 48,000-crore order for 83 TEJAS MK-1A fighters, expanded in 2025 with a $7.5 billion contract for 97 additional variants. HAL's production infrastructure remains active, delivery schedules track to plan, and the Indian Air Force continues expanding its fleet. Institutional commitment of this magnitude signals confidence that transcends propaganda.

Pakistan's sudden obsession with TEJAS defects stems from a specific vulnerability: TEJAS is entering global markets where Pakistan anticipated its China-backed JF-17 would secure dominance. Argentina, Egypt, and Nigeria have all expressed interest in TEJAS procurement. Brazil recently explored barter-based acquisition, proposing to exchange Embraer C-390 transport aircraft for Indian-made TEJAS MK-1As.

The Dubai crash occurred at a tactically sensitive moment—precisely as TEJAS gained international visibility before military delegations representing multiple continents. For Islamabad, this tragedy presented an opportunity to weaponise perception and influence procurement decisions through narrative manipulation rather than technical merit.

This export-market competition strikes at the heart of Pakistan's regional influence. Every TEJAS contract signed diminishes JF-17 procurement prospects. Each international sale redirects aerospace manufacturing revenue away from the China-Pakistan military-industrial partnership. As India consolidates its position within the defence-export ecosystem, Pakistan and China find their dominance in low-cost fighter-export markets increasingly contested.

Pakistan's propaganda strategy overlooks two foundational realities governing the global defence market. First, defence procurement decisions emerge from systematic evaluation of performance metrics, operational data, delivery timelines, and long-term support infrastructure. Military planners do not formulate acquisition strategies based on trending social-media hashtags or manipulated video clips. 

Second, safety records matter within defence procurement; propaganda does not. When military organisations evaluate fighter-jet acquisitions, they scrutinise cumulative incident data, root-cause analyses, and demonstrated mitigation protocols. TEJAS' safety record withstands rigorous comparative analysis against established platforms.

Pakistan's TEJAS campaign reflects not an aberration but a consistent pattern of opposing Indian defence and space advancement. When India exported the BrahMos missile, Pakistan protested proliferation implications.

When ISRO launched satellites, Islamabad alleged espionage. When India tested the Agni-V ballistic missile, Pakistan labelled the development destabilising. Now, as India enters the fighter-export arena, Pakistan claims Indian jets are fundamentally unsafe. This consistency reveals the underlying motivation: not technical concern, but strategic anxiety over India's technological advancement.

Despite Pakistan's campaign, several structural realities support India's continued progression within defence manufacturing. The Indian Air Force's institutional commitment to TEJAS procurement indicates confidence in the platform's operational future. HAL's production capacity continues expanding, with delivery schedules aligned to contractual timelines.

Emerging export-market interest, particularly from nations seeking indigenous manufacturing partnerships rather than imported platforms, positions TEJAS favourably within strategic procurement frameworks. India's defence-manufacturing ecosystem extends beyond single platforms, encompassing missile systems, radar technology, electronic warfare capabilities, and advanced aero-engine development.

Pakistan's narrative may dominate specific online circles for limited periods, but such influence rarely translates into geopolitical consequence. Defence ministries evaluate procurement through institutional filters, subjecting technical claims to rigorous scrutiny.

Military planners develop acquisition strategies based on operational requirements, budgetary constraints, and demonstrated capability rather than social-media sentiment. The gap between online noise and institutional decision-making widens considerably when examined against historical precedent.

India's fighter jets will operate across multiple decades. The TEJAS program will continue expanding within the Indian Air Force and into international markets. One tragic incident, however regrettable, cannot erase 24 years of developmental progress and operational performance.

On the metrics that genuinely influence procurement decisions—safety records, operational performance, delivery capability, and long-term support infrastructure—TEJAS stands firm, whilst Pakistan's propaganda rapidly diminishes into strategic irrelevance.

Based On India Today Report