Two pilots of a Russian military aircraft were killed Tuesday when their jet crashed during a routine training flight in the far east of the country, the local source said.
Russian propagandist Ilya Tumanov also confirmed that pilots were killed on his influential Fighterbomber Telegram channel.
The Russian military said that the MiG-31 fell into Avacha Bay on the southeastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The military noted the aircraft wasn’t carrying weapons. It didn’t immediately offer further details or say what may have caused the crash.
MiG-31 Foxhound is a long-range, two-seat supersonic interceptor aircraft. It was derived from MiG-25 Foxbat interceptor and is equipped with state-of-the-art digital avionics. More than 500 MiG-31 aircraft have been produced, out of which 370 were delivered to the Russian Air Force and 30 are in service with Kazakhstan Air Force.
The MiG-31 is a uniquely Russian fighter jet fighter designated to intercept air targets at long ranges inaccessible for strikes by standard fighter jets. The fighters of this type are capable of providing network-centric combat control while operating with other aircraft.