A MiG-29 fighter of the Indian Air Force on Tuesday crashed near the airbase in Jamnagar shortly after taking off for a routine sortie, and the pilot ejected to safety.

"Barring some minor injuries, the pilot is safe and he is being taken to the IAF hospital for treatment," an official source said.

The crash occurred at around 7.45 pm in the vicinity of Sarmat village.

Officials rushed to the site and the cause of the crash is yet to be ascertained, defence Public Relations Officer Wing Commander T K Singha told PTI in Ahmedabad.

A court of inquiry has been ordered, officials said.

This was the third MiG-29 that crashed this year. The IAF has lost a total of five jets since January.

This was also the third crash this year at Jamnagar involving Russian-made fighter jets. On June 8, a twin-seat trainer version of the MiG-29 with two pilots had crashed on the uninhabited Pirotan island while on a routine sortie.

Both pilots had ejected to safety.

On January 17, a MiG-21 crashed during target firing practice at Jamnagar. The pilot ejected to safety.

Another MiG-29 crashed near Ambala in Haryana in September.

The IAF is currently upgarding the MiG-29s to keep them in service for a longer period of time.