One pilot was killed and two others were injured when two planes of the Indian Air Force collided mid-flight during a military exercise south of the Indian capital, New Delhi.

The Air Force said in a statement that the two aircraft were on a 'flight training mission' when the accident occurred.

Both the planes had taken off from Gwalior Air Base in Madhya Pradesh, which is about 50 km from where the wreckage was found.

The Indian Air Force has ordered an immediate investigation to find out the cause of the crash.

The first plane crashed in Pahargarh area of Madhya Pradesh state, which is located 300 kilometers south of New Delhi.

"The second plane may have gone down some distance away and we have sent teams to search for it," police officer Dharmendragur near Mbale told AFP.

Regarding the second plane, Morena district police officer Ashutosh Bagri has told AFP that two pilots have been identified at the crash site. He has been taken to an Indian Air Force helicopter for medical assistance.

He said that the condition of both is out of danger.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said local authorities have been instructed to assist the Air Force in the relief operations.

Earlier in the recent history, the Indian Air Force has suffered a number of accidents.

In October last year, five soldiers were killed when a helicopter crashed near the Chinese border in Arunachal Pradesh.

During September 2021, more than a dozen people, including Chief of the Indian Armed Forces General Bipin Rawat and his wife, were killed in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is trying to urgently procure new aircraft and military equipment for the country's armed forces.

Last year, the government showcased the first indigenously developed military aircraft built with Russian defense assistance. Historically, Russia has been India's defense ally.

In June 2022, one person was killed and several others injured during protests in India over a new scheme for fixed-term recruitment of soldiers in the army.

Movement of more than 300 trains has been affected due to ongoing protests in various parts of the country against the 'Agnipath Scheme' related to Indian army recruitment.

The program, called Agnipath or Path of Fire, aims to recruit young men into the Indian Army for a short period of time.

The government claims that the new scheme will also increase the representation of youth in the army, but the youth say that the scheme is a sham which is not meant to create jobs and other opportunities.