Russian aerobatic team honors deceased Indian pilot in Dubai
The Russian Knights aerobatic team has paid tribute to an Indian Air Force pilot who died in a crash at the Dubai Airshow on Friday.
Wing Commander Namansh Syal died after his Tejas fighter jet crashed during its display at the show.
The Russian formation team performed their ‘Missing Man’ maneuver routine on Saturday in tribute to Syal, calling him a “brother in the skies.”
In a post on the social media platform Vkontakte, the Russian Knights wrote it is “impossible to describe” the feeling of loss and said their final-day performance was dedicated to the “memory of the brothers who did not return from the last flight.”
🇷🇺 Russian Aerobatic Team Honours Wg Cdr Namansh Syal With Final-Day Tribute at Dubai Airshow 2025The Russian aerobatic team described the moments after the Tejas crash as “impossible to describe,” adding that their decision to continue the display was made “in memory of the… pic.twitter.com/bJNTeLtRBN
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) November 23, 2025
Syal’s Tejas jet had flown across the display site several times before it appeared to lose control and dive directly toward the ground at around 2:10pm local time on Friday.
The Tejas single-seater light combat aircraft is India’s first indigenously developed fighter jet, and is produced by state-backed Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the Aeronautical Development Agency for the Indian Air Force.
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh expressed his condolences to the pilot’s family on X. “Deeply anguished at the loss of a brave and courageous IAF pilot during an aerial display in Dubai Air Show,” he wrote. “My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. The nation stands firmly with the family in this tragic hour.”
Members of the US and Pakistani air forces also paid tribute to the deceased pilot.
