India’s homegrown Tejas fighter jet faced a major setback after it crashed during a demonstration at the Dubai Airshow. The incident unfolded in front of a crowd packed with potential international buyers, casting a shadow over India’s ambitions to export the Tejas as a symbol of its defense manufacturing capabilities. 
Impact on Export Hopes
The crash couldn’t have come at a worse time. The world watched as India’s pride in indigenous defense technology took a nosedive—quite literally! Many defense experts believe this accident will force India to rely even more heavily on domestic military orders to keep the Tejas program afloat. For a jet touted as a ‘showcase of home-built prowess,’ this mishap is a PR nightmare.
India’s Defense Dilemma
Let’s be honest, if your star product crashes at the big show, convincing global buyers gets pretty tricky. The Tejas program, once seen as a beacon of India’s self-reliance in defense, now faces tough questions about reliability. Yet, every setback is a setup for a comeback—or so they say. Maybe it’s time for the engineers to add a ‘crash-proof’ feature to the next model!
Sources:
Reuters