The pilot ejected safely and there were no casualties, officials said

In a brief statement, the IAF said a court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident

The crash took place around 100 km from the Pokhran desert where a mega war game `Bharat Shakti` witnessed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top military brass was underway

According to the PTI, Jaisalmer Additional Superintendent of Police Mahendra Singh said that there was no loss of property or human life in the crash near Kalla residential colony. Thick black smoke was seen billowing out from a single-storey brick structure where the aircraft crashed

"A Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas of the Indian Air Force crashed near Jaisalmer today during an operational training sortie. The pilot ejected safely," the IAF said

Manufactured by state-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the Tejas aircraft is a potent platform for air combat and offensive air support missions while reconnaissance and anti-ship operations are its secondary roles. Tejas aircraft are set to be the mainstay of the IAF. It has already inducted nearly 40 Tejas of initial variants