A fighter jet belonging to the Indian Air Force has gone missing in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, prompting authorities to launch an urgent search and rescue operation.

According to Indian media reports the Russian made Sukhoi Su 30MKI took off from the airbase near Jorhat but lost radar contact shortly after 7:42 p.m. local time. Officials said the aircraft failed to return to base at its scheduled time, raising concerns about its safety and the condition of its crew.

The Indian Air Force confirmed that search teams have been mobilized to locate the aircraft with rescue operations underway in the surrounding region.

India inducted the Sukhoi 30 fighter jets into its fleet in the early 2000s, and they are considered a key component of the country’s air combat capabilities. However aviation safety concerns have been raised in recent years. Reports indicate that the Indian Air Force has faced more than 550 aviation accidents over the past three decades, resulting in the deaths of over 150 pilots.

Defense analysts say several factors have contributed to these incidents including training challenges, human error aging aircraft and technical maintenance issues. Authorities are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the latest incident while continuing efforts to locate the missing aircraft.