New Delhi: Wing Commander Namansh Syal, the Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter pilot who died in the Tejas crash at the Dubai Air Show, grew up far from airfields or global exhibitions.

Born in Patialakad, a village in Nagrota Bagwan tehsil of Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district, his journey from a small Himalayan settlement to the cockpit of India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft was marked by quiet ambition, discipline and a long-standing connection to the armed forces.

Syal came from a family with a defence background. His father, Jagan Nath Syal, served in the Army Medical Corps before retiring and later working as a school principal. Show Full Article

After completing his schooling, Syal joined the IAF and was commissioned on 24 December 2009. Over the course of his 16-year career,

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