Updated
Updated · Reuters · Jun 15
Russian Tu-22M3 Bomber Crashes in Siberia, 4 Crew Eject Safely
Updated
Updated · Reuters · Jun 15

Russian Tu-22M3 Bomber Crashes in Siberia, 4 Crew Eject Safely

3 articles · Updated · Reuters · Jun 15

Summary

  • A Tu-22M3 strategic bomber went down in Russia's Irkutsk region during a training flight, with all four crew members ejecting and later hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
  • Engine failure was the likely cause, Governor Igor Kobzev said, while the Defence Ministry said the aircraft carried no combat load and caused no damage on the ground.
  • Kobzev said the bomber crashed near the village of Kamenka, where fire crews were sent to extinguish a blaze; social media footage showed a steep dive into a wooded area near the Angara river.
  • The Soviet-era supersonic bomber, known by NATO as Backfire, has been used by Russia in Syria and Ukraine and can carry Kh-22 cruise missiles and hypersonic Kinzhal missiles.

Insights

With its irreplaceable bombers crashing, is Russia's long-range air power facing a terminal decline?
Is this crash a symptom of a Russian military being hollowed out by sanctions and the high tempo of war?