Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashes in Russia's Irkutsk region, pilot dies
Tu-22M3 (Photo sourced from occupier media)

On April 2, a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashed, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

The aircraft went down in the Irkutsk region. The crew ejected, but one pilot died, according to the ministry.

Officials claimed the bomber crashed in an unpopulated area and attributed the incident to a supposed technical malfunction.

Igor Kobzev, governor of the Irkutsk region, stated that the aircraft went down during a routine flight near the village of Buret in the Bokhansky district.

There were no civilian casualties or damage to residential buildings, he added.

Kobzev also said that a search-and-rescue team had arrived at the site and was evacuating the crew.

Russian propaganda Telegram channel Mash published footage allegedly showing the bomber on fire after the crash.

REFERENCE.
The Tu-22M is a supersonic long-range strategic bomber with variable-sweep wings, developed in the 1960s. It was produced in two main variants: the Tu-22M2, decommissioned in the 1990s, and the Tu-22M3, manufactured from 1978 to 1993 and still in service in Russia. Moscow has actively used this aircraft to strike Ukraine. 
  • On April 19, 2024, Ukraine's Defense Intelligence (DIU), in coordination with the Air Force, destroyed a Russian Tu-22M3 bomber.
  • A security and defense source told LIGA.net that the aircraft was shot down using an S-200 long-range surface-to-air missile system.
  • DIU spokesperson Andrii Yusov stated that Russia is practically incapable of producing new Tu-22M3 bombers.
  • On August 15, 2024, another Tu-22M3 crashed in the same Irkutsk region.
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