Short version of the news
On the night of April 19, the Ukrainian military carried out one of the most successful special operations since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion – they shot down a Tu-22M3 strategic aviation aircraft. At the time of the defeat, there were four pilots on board who were launching missiles at the peaceful cities of Ukraine.
The Tu-22M3 pilots managed to eject. Unfortunately, two were found alive, one died, and they are looking for another. However, even the survivors will no longer be able to carry out “combat missions.” Roman Svitan, a reserve colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, an instructor pilot, and a military expert, told
/strong> how long it will take to train the new crew.
New pilots are needed
The full training cycle, if you count from scratch, will last 8 years. And if retraining, then this will definitely take several years, at least 2 years.
It will not be possible to get a crew for the Tu-22M3 faster. This plane is a very complex machine,” noted the instructor pilot.
In general, the bomber’s crew consists of 4 people. They sit one behind the other, like in a car: two pilots in front in pairs and two navigators in the back. and only after that the crew commander. The Tu-22M3's forced ejection mechanism is very complex. Moreover, sometimes the crew members survive, but they will certainly not be in good health to carry out missions.
The Russians still have rules from Soviet Union. Every year, ground ejections of flight personnel occur with an overload of approximately 12 units – one ejection, two parachute jumps.
“Imagine how much pilots injure their spines, even just with ground ejections, and after an emergency recovery is almost impossible,” added Svitan.
Tu-22M3 shooting down: what is known
- The Main Intelligence Directorate, in cooperation with the Air Force, carried out a successful special operation. As a result, one of the enemy’s Tu-22M3 long-range bombers was shot down.
- The Russian plane was able to land at a distance of about 300 kilometers from Ukraine with the help of the Soviet S-200 air defense system. The Tu-22M3, which attacked Ukraine at night, crashed in the Stavropol Territory of the Krasnogvardeysky District of Russia.
- The Ukrainian Ground Forces showed an enchanting video of the crash of an enemy plane and explained that this is instant karma.
