Key points
- A Su-34 fighter-bomber crashed in the Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia during a training flight, becoming the third disaster of this type in a year.
- The plane crashed near the village of Veletma, approximately 10 kilometers from the Savasleyka military airfield, where MiG-31 fighters are based.
Su-34 fighter-bomber crashes in Russia / Russian media, illustrative
A Su-34 fighter-bomber has crashed in Russia in the Nizhny Novgorod region. This is the third crash of a Russian Air Force aircraft this year.
The incident occurred during a scheduled training flight, Channel 24 reported, citing The Moscow Times, Telegram channels, and the Russian Defense Ministry.
What is known about this?
It is known that the plane crashed in a forest near the village of Veletma in the urban district of Kulebaki, which is approximately 10 kilometers from the Savasleyka military airfield, where the branch of the 4th State Center for the Training of Aviation Personnel and Military Testing is located.
It should be noted that back in 2012, the Kremlin reported that a squadron of MiG-31 fighters of various modifications was based at the airfield. The Russians have been regularly lifting MiG-31K aircraft from the Savasleyka airfield since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Su-34 is a key aircraft in the Russian tactical aviation; in the Aerospace Forces it is classified as a frontline fighter-bomber, which is used primarily for strikes with KABs, in particular those equipped with planning and guidance modules.
This incident was the third in the last year. In June last year, during a scheduled training flight, the aircraft crashed in the mountains of North Ossetia, killing both pilots.
Shortly after that, already in July 2024, the Su-34 crashed in the Volgograd region in the Serafimovichsky district for similar reasons – this also happened during a training flight. Then the crew managed to eject.
By the way, the media reported that both Su-34 pilots managed to eject during the fall due to the incident that occurred on Tuesday, July 1. One of them was found allegedly without any injuries. However, the other died from closed injuries.
