A Russian military plane crashed in the Rostov region, near the Ukrainian border.
Russian media on Oct. 9, reported that the Su-24 Fencer strike jet crashed on Sunday morning in the Rostov region during a test flight.
Both pilots ejected successfully before the fighter jet down in the field at the area of Sibyrka village in the Southern Federal District that borders Ukraine.
The Fencer is one of the most powerful long-range, low-level military aircraft of the Soviet era. The plane is often compared to the US General Dynamics F-111 plane, as well as the European Tornado.
The Su-24 is designed to penetrate hostile territory and destroy ground and surface targets in any weather conditions, by day and night. Variants of the Su-24 have also been produced, designed for reconnaissance and electronic countermeasures.
The strike jet is armed with the following types of air-to-surface missiles: Kh-23 or Kh-23M (NATO codename AS-7 Kerry) radio-command guided missiles (range 5km; up to four missiles carried); Kh-28 (AS-9 Kyle) and Kh-58 passive radar-homing missiles (range 90km; up to two missiles carried). Up to two Vympel R-60 (AA-8 Aphid) IR-homing air-to-air missiles with a range of 3km are also carried.
