The officer emphasised it was not a "failure".

"It is very much clear that there was no pilot error or technical snag. It was probably the laser-guided kit imported from Israel that may have malfunctioned," the official said.

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The IAF initially said the laser-guided bomb and an air-to-air missile fired by Tejas had engaged targets with "deadly precision".

The official said Tejas was granted a kill even though the laser proximity fuse, which guides the bomb to the target, did not fire.

The IAF exercise saw the participation of 181 aircraft and firing of 71 bombs, 500 rockets and at least five air-to-air missiles.

"If one or two bombs could not hit the targets, it is completely normal during such mammoth firepower demonstration," the official said.