Thursday, March 28, 2024

Three crew members dead in incident with Russian Tu-22 Backfire bomber

Three crew members on board a supersonic Tupolev Tu-22M3 Backfire bomber have died in a horror incident at Shaikovka military airfield in the Kaluga region, on Tuesday.

“An ejection system malfunctioned during a planned preparation on the ground for a Tu-22M3 flight at an airfield in the Kaluga region,” the defence ministry said.

Three crew members received fatal injuries due to the “insufficient height to deploy parachutes,” the defence ministry said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.

- ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW -

A state commission has been sent to the scene near the city of Kaluga some 190 kilometres (120 miles) southwest of the capital Moscow to inspect the bomber and look into the reasons of the accident.

The Tu-22M3 is a Soviet-era supersonic, variable-sweep wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Tupolev Design Bureau in the 1960s.

*This is a developing story. More details will be added as they emerge.

If you would like to show your support for what we are doing, here's where to do it.

If you wish to report grammatical or factual errors within our news articles, you can let us know by using the online feedback form.

Executive Editor

About author:

Dylan Malyasov
Dylan Malyasov
Dylan Malyasov is the editor-in-chief of Defence Blog. He is a journalist, an accredited defense advisor, and a consultant. His background as a defense advisor and consultant adds a unique perspective to his journalistic endeavors, ensuring that his reporting is well-informed and authoritative. read more

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

TRENDING NOW

Ukraine uncovers secrets of Russia’s new hypersonic missile

Ukrainian analysts have unveiled the classified specs of Russia's shadowy hypersonic cruise missile, the 3M22 Zircon, intercepted by US-made missile defense systems over Kyiv,...