A fighter aircraft of the IAF, which took off from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh for a training mission on Monday, experienced a "technical malfunction" which necessitated "jettisoning of external stores" for its safety, officials said.
There was no damage to life or property in the process, a senior official of the Indian Air Force said.
Earlier, police said two objects which they said resembled the fuel tanks of an air force plane were found in a village in Sant Kabir Nagar district on Monday.
Superintendent of Police Satyajeet Gupta said the IAF was informed about the objects found in a field in Banjaria Balushasan village under the Khalilabad police station area.
He said an IAF team will soon reach the spot and the next course of action will be decided by it.
The official said that the spot has been cordoned off.
Sources said the aircraft is a Jaguar.
An IAF official in Delhi, when contacted later, said the jettisoning of "external stores" was for "operational reasons".
"The aircraft took off from Gorakhpur on Monday. However, it had to jettison some of its external store elements for its safety," the IAF official told PTI.
Gorakhpur is towards the east of Sant Kabir Nagar district.
Prayagraj-based Central Air Command later also tweeted about the incident.
"A fighter aircraft was airborne for a training mission from Gorakhpur. The aircraft experienced a technical malfunction which necessitated jettisoning of external stores. There was no damage to life or property in the process," it said.
Published 24 July 2023, 17:20 IST