ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan Air Force aircraft crashed during a training mission on Wednesday but the pilots baled out safely, an air force spokesman said.

“It was FT-7 training aircraft. It crashed near Mianwali soon after take off from the base,” the spokesman told AFP.

A woman trainee pilot and the instructor managed to escape, he said adding that “both are safe.”

It was the third air force jet to crash in training in three months.

Two pilots were killed in the other incidents and a helicopter crashed in last June killed four military personnel.

The Pakistan Air Force has a fleet of Chinese aircraft, including F-7PGs and A-5s, plus US-built F-16s and French Mirages.

It recently acquired medium-tech JF-17 or Thunder jets, manufactured jointly by China and Pakistan.