Russian strategic bomber crashes in Siberia during training exercise

A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber plane crashed on Monday in Siberia’s Irkutsk region during a training flight, the Russian Defence Ministry said, but the aircraft’s four-person crew had managed to safely eject.

The Tu-22, which can carry hypersonic “Kinzhal” missiles and is code-named “Backfire” by NATO, is a Soviet-era supersonic bomber that Russia has since used for combat missions in Syria and Ukraine.

Unverified footage of the crash on social media showed a plane nose-diving into a thickly wooded area not far from the banks of the Angara river, producing a huge column of smoke.

“The crew ejected. There is no threat to the pilots’ lives or health,” the Interfax news agency cited the Defence Ministry as saying. “There is no damage on the ground. The aircraft was flying without a combat load.”

Irkutsk’s governor, Igor Kobzev, said in a statement that the plane had crashed near the village of Kamenka. Fire crews were working to extinguish a blaze at the site, and all four crew members had been taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Kobzev said preliminary information indicated engine failure as the likely cause of the crash.

The Tu-22M3, a modernised version of the original Tu-22 plane, can deliver Kh-22 (AS-4 Kitchen) air-launched cruise missiles as well as the air-launched hypersonic Kinzhal “Dagger” missiles, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

俄罗斯国防部称，一架俄罗斯图-22M3战略轰炸机周一在西伯利亚伊尔库茨克地区进行训练飞行时坠毁，但机上四名机组人员成功安全弹射逃生。

图-22 是一款苏联时代的超音速轰炸机，可以携带高超音速“匕首”导弹，北约代号为“逆火”。俄罗斯此后一直将其用于在叙利亚和乌克兰的作战任务。

社交媒体上流传的未经证实的坠机视频显示，一架飞机机头朝下栽入安加拉河岸边不远处的茂密树林中，升起了一股巨大的烟柱。

国际文传电讯社援引国防部的话说：“机组人员已弹射逃生。飞行员的生命和健康没有受到威胁。地面没有损失。飞机当时没有携带作战载荷。”

伊尔库茨克市市长伊戈尔·科布泽夫在一份声明中表示，飞机在卡缅卡村附近坠毁。消防人员正在现场扑灭大火，机上四名机组人员均已被送往医院，伤势无生命危险。

科布泽夫表示，初步信息显示，发动机故障可能是造成此次事故的原因。

据《原子科学家公报》报道，Tu-22M3是原Tu-22飞机的现代化版本，可以投掷Kh-22（AS-4厨房）空射巡航导弹以及空射高超音速“匕首”导弹。