NEW DELHI — A MiG-21 Indian air force (IAF) fighter crashed July 15 while landing at Uttarlai airbase in the western Rajasthan state, the fifth MiG crash in recent months. The aircraft was on a routine training sortie. “The aircraft crashed at about 9.30 a.m. local time and the pilot suffered fatal injuries, A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of crash,” defense ministry spokesperson Col. S.D. Goswami says.

NEW DELHI — India will soon swap out its Prithvi ballistic missile for the newly developed Prahar missile as part of the Indian army’s ongoing transformational efforts. The Prithvi I missile, with a strike range of 150 km (93 mi.), will be “soon phased out” and replaced by the solid-propelled Prahar missiles,which are “more advanced, more competent and more accurate,” an official at India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) tells Aviation Week.

NEW DELHI — In the first contract awarded to an Indian company to support its CH-47F Chinook, Boeing has chosen precision components maker Dynamatic Technologies Ltd. to supply aft pylon and cargo ramp assemblies for the tandem-rotor helicopter. The Indian air force (IAF) has opted for the CH-47F over the upgraded Russian Mi-26T2 to fulfill its requirement for 15 heavy-lift helicopters.