- A Russian bomber pilot and navigator were killed when an ejection system activated while the aircraft was parked, according to blogger Ilya Tumanov.
- Tumanov said a government commission is investigating and did not identify the aircraft type or base.
Two Russian military airmen were killed in an incident involving the unexpected activation of an ejection system while their aircraft was parked in a shelter, according to Russian defense blogger Ilya Tumanov, the founder of the “Fighterbomber” Telegram channel.
“Yesterday, in one of the bomber aviation regiments, the ejection system was triggered on a plane standing in a shelter,” Tumanov wrote. “The pilot and navigator sustained injuries incompatible with life.”
Tumanov did not specify the location of the incident or the aircraft type involved. However, he said a government commission is now working at the site to investigate.
This is not the first time the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) have suffered fatal incidents linked to malfunctioning ejection systems. In 2021, three personnel were killed at a military airfield near Kaluga when the ejection system of a Tu-22M3 bomber unexpectedly activated while the aircraft was on the ground.
In 2021, a Su-30SM fighter jet also experienced an unintended ejection incident while preparing for takeoff at an airbase in Russian-occupied Crimea. Both the pilot and navigator survived, but a ground technician suffered burns from the blast.
While rare in Western militaries, similar incidents with Russian bombers have occurred due to aging airframes, human error, or system faults.
Russian authorities have not officially confirmed the latest incident. There has been no public statement from the Ministry of Defense as of Monday morning.