NEW DELHI, July 7: An Indian Air Force MiG-23 fighter went down on Monday after the pilot was forced to eject in mid-air due to a technical snag in the northern state of Punjab, an air force spokesman said.

The pilot was safe, he said.

The Russian-made aircraft was returning from a sortie when a technical problem was noticed in its undercarriage near Punjab’s Ludhiana district.

“It was a planned ejection in a designated safe area. It cannot be termed as a crash,” the spokesman said.

The Indian Air Force, the world’s fourth largest, has been plagued by mishaps mostly involving its ageing fleet of Russian-made MiGs.—AFP