Indonesia's Jupiter Aerobatic Team, which flies KAI KT-1 turboprop military trainers, experienced a horrific crash yesterday during a practice run for Malaysia's Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA). Astonishingly, all four pilots are reported to have survived the collision.
The event occurred as two of the team's KT-1 aircraft (similar to a Pilatus PC-9) were approaching each other head-on when they clipped wings, resulting in the rapid loss of control of both aircraft.
The Jupiter Aerobatic team during a 2012 display (Photo via AP)
The Jupiter Aerobatic Team was formed in 2008 and is made up of entirely instructor pilots, many of which are some of the most experienced in the Indonesian Air Force. Usually, each aircraft flies with two crew aboard. In this case all four pilots safely ejected and nobody was hurt on the ground.
LIMA '15 is one of the biggest air shows in the region and has attracted some outstanding displays this year, including China's "August 1st" flight demonstration team flying their Chengdu J-10s and Singapore's Black Knights flying Lockheed Martin F-16s. Malaysia will also be putting their F/A-18D Hornets and their super maneuverable SU-30MKMs Flankers through their paces for audiences.
LIMA has grown with Malaysia's strategic importance in the region, along with the increasing defense budgets of nearby nations which make the event an ideal marketing event for major arms dealers. Here is the whole lineup of the show's flying displays, which include one of the most diverse collection of military aircraft in the world:
The static aircraft list is even more impressive, with American hardware making a strong showing. In addition to the aircraft side of the show and arms expo, the maritime contingent includes new technologies, tactical demonstrations, as well as tours of small boats and warships docked at Porto Malai.
Top Shot via Twitter/Oliver Santa
Tyler Rogoway is a defense journalist and photographer who maintains the website Foxtrot Alpha for Jalopnik.com You can reach Tyler with story ideas or direct comments regarding this or any other defense topic via the email address Tyler@Jalopnik.com