Debris from the Air Force fighter plane which crashed in Gujarat's Kutch district on Tuesday.

The Air Officer Commanding of the Indian Air Force station in Gujarat's Jamnagar was killed Tuesday in a fighter plane crash in the state's northwestern region.

The Jaguar fighter took off from Jamnagar and crashed in the Mundra taluk of Kutch district. Air Commodore Sanjai Chauhan suffered fatal injuries.

The flight was a routine sortie.

An Air Force chopper has reached the crash site. A Court of Inquiry (CoI) will investigate the cause of the accident.

When Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited the Jamnagar station in October, Chauhan was one of the officers who received her.

Today, before a press conference, Sitharaman observed a minute's silence in honour of Chauhan.

Sanjai Chauhan (right) with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (File photo)

Photos of the crash site in Kutch showed debris scattered over a wide area.

What's a Jaguar fighter?

This deep penetration strike aircraft can make fast, low-level dashes into enemy territory for precision strikes and bombing missions.

It's a twin-engine aircraft. India first acquired it in the 1980s, but it's been progressively upgraded since then.

It's also license manufactured by Hindustan Aeronatuics Limited in Bengaluru.

A Jaguar fighter plane making touchdown on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway near Bangarmau in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district on October 24, 2017. (Photo: Getty Images)

OTHER IAF AIRCRAFT CRASHES

Other aircraft operated by the IAF have been involved in crashes this year.

In April, an M17 helicopter crashed in Uttarakhand's Kedarnath, but all six people on board survived. In March, a plane crashed in Odisha's Mayurbhunj district. The pilot was able to eject from the aircraft, but was injured.

And in February, a microlight chopper crashed in Assam, killing two pilots.

WATCH | Air Force fighter jet crashes in Gujarat's Kutch