Video credits: @Sputnik_India
NEW DELHI: Wing Commander Namansh Syal of the Indian Air Force was honoured with a ‘Missing Man’ manoeuvre by the Russian Knights aerobatics team after he was killed in a Tejas fighter jet crash at the Dubai Air Show on Friday.After the crash of the Indian Tejas fighter jet, the Russian Knights released a video of their performance at the Dubai Airshow 2025, paying tribute to the pilot and honouring the lives lost.In the video, shared on Russian social media platform VK, the team described the crash as “impossible to describe” and said their final-day performance was dedicated to the “memory of the brothers who did not return from the last flight”. At the air show, members of the US F-16 team also reacted strongly to the tragedy. Their pilot, Captain Taylor Hiester, said he was shocked that the event continued despite the fatal accident. The US team, along with a few others, chose to cancel their performance out of respect for the Indian pilot, his colleagues and his family.“After two years of doing this job, that was a first for our team and it came just before our final performance of the season. Together and individually, we all quietly watched the aftermath unfold from a distance thinking about the Indian maintenance crew standing on the ramp next to an empty parking spot, aircraft ladder laid on the ground, the pilot’s belongings still in his rental car,” Hiester wrote as he headed back to the US.Also read | ‘It was uncomfortable for me’: US F-16 pilot ‘shocked’ that Dubai air show went on even after Tejas crashThe Tejas aircraft was in the middle of an eight-minute aerobatic display when it suddenly lost altitude during what appeared to be a low-level manoeuvre. Visuals aired across several channels showed the jet diving toward the ground before erupting into flames, sending thick black smoke over Al Maktoum International Airport. Spectators, including families with children, watched in shock as emergency teams rushed to the scene.