MOSCOW: A Russian Su-34 bomber, with the tail number “05 red,” crashed during a training flight in the Voronezh region, raising concerns about safety during such exercises. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation confirmed the incident.
The aircraft came down in a field within the Kashirsky district of the Voronezh region, close to the village of Kolodezny. Fortunately, the two pilots on board managed to eject safely and survived the crash. According to sources associated with Russian military aviation, there were no munitions on board during the training flight.
Preliminary assessments of the crash suggest that it may have been caused by a malfunction in the aircraft’s front landing gear.
Crash Incidents of Russian Bombers
This incident is not the first of its kind. Just eight days ago, on September 12, another Russian Su-24M bomber crashed in the Volgograd region during a routine training flight, also without ammunition on board.
One of the most notable training flight accidents involved a Su-34 bomber in the Russian city of Yeisk in Kuban last year. In that incident, the bomber crashed into an apartment building at high speed. It was later revealed that the engine had failed in mid-flight. However, the pilots successfully ejected, preventing further casualties.
Additionally, Russian Su-34 bombers have been involved in emergency situations where bombs suspended from the aircraft were unintentionally launched. In April 2023, several FAB-500M62 500-kilogram bombs were accidentally dropped from a Su-34 in the city of Belgorod, striking a residential area.
