Both pilots ejected safely. According to a defense ministry spokesman, the twin-seater aircraft “was on a routine sortie when a technical problem forced the two pilots to abandon the fighter.”

The 40,000-ton Vikrant, meaning “bold” or “courageous,” will be undocked at the state-owned Cochin shipyard in southern state of Kerala on May 28 following completion of some pending structural work, a yard official says.

Sixteen C295s would be provided in flyaway condition by a Tata/Airbus team and 40 more from a new Indian production line. The proposals will now be considered by India’s defense cabinet committee for final approval.