PAF ordered for an investigation of the accident to be carried out and formed a committee to look into the matter. — Photo by AP

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan Air Force aircraft crashed during a training mission on Wednesday but the pilots baled out safely, an air force spokesman said.

“It was FT-7 training aircraft. It crashed near Mianwali soon after take off from the base,” the spokesman told AFP.

A woman trainee pilot and the instructor managed to escape, he said adding that “both are safe.”

It was the third air force jet to crash in training in three months.

Two pilots were killed in the other incidents and a helicopter crashed in last June killed four military personnel.

The Pakistan Air Force has a fleet of Chinese aircraft, including F-7PGs and A-5s, plus US-built F-16s and French Mirages.

It recently acquired medium-tech JF-17 or Thunder jets, manufactured jointly by China and Pakistan.

Opinion

Editorial

Budget presser
14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

OFFICIAL post-budget media briefings in Pakistan are carefully choreographed affairs, full of reassuring phrases ...
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...
Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...