Iranian fighter jet crashes, pilots safe

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, an Iranian military aircraft crashed in the western region of the country, Iranian media outlets reported.
“The incident occurred in Shirin Su in the city of Kabudarahang,” the media noted. “Both pilots managed to eject safely before the crash, avoiding injuries.”
Further details regarding the cause of the crash and the circumstances surrounding it were not disclosed.
This marks the latest in a string of aviation accidents involving military aircraft in Iran. In December 2024, a training aircraft crashed in Fars province, killing both pilots on board.
Earlier in November, a “Gyroplane” light aircraft accident during a training drill in Saravan area claimed the lives of an IRGC commander and his pilot.
In May 2024, a Bell 212 helicopter crash near Jolfa, close to the border with Azerbaijan, resulted in the tragic deaths of eight individuals, including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Notably, Iran’s reliance on an aging fleet has exacerbated safety concerns, with US and Western sanctions severely restricting access to spare parts and maintenance. These sanctions have left Iran operating aircraft with an average age of 28 years—more than double the global average. Analysts have linked the inability to procure modern components to repeated failures in aviation safety.
Although the 2015 nuclear deal briefly eased sanctions, enabling Iran to sign contracts worth $40 billion to modernize its fleet, the US withdrawal from the agreement in 2018 reinstated restrictions, further deteriorating aviation operations.