• Source:JND
HighLights
  1. Russian Tu-22M3 bomber crashed in Irkutsk, Siberia.
  2. Four-person crew safely ejected from Russian bomber.
  3. US B-2 bomber crash at Edwards Air Force Base killed eight.

A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber plane crashed on Monday in Siberia's Irkutsk region during a training flight, the Russian Defence Ministry said, but the aircraft's four-person crew had managed to safely eject. The Tu-22, which can carry hypersonic "Kinzhal" missiles and is code-named "Backfire" by NATO, is a Soviet-era supersonic bomber that Russia has since used for combat missions in Syria and Ukraine.

Unverified footage of the crash on social media showed a plane nose-diving into a thickly wooded area not far from the banks of the Angara river, producing a huge column of smoke. "The crew ejected. There is no threat to the pilots' lives or health," the Interfax news agency cited the Defence Ministry as saying.

The pilot safely ejected from the aircraft before the crash and was transported to a hospital, according to Naches Fire.

"There is no damage on the ground. The aircraft was flying without a combat load." Irkutsk's governor, Igor Kobzev, said in a statement that the plane had crashed near the village of Kamenka.

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Fire crews were working to extinguish a blaze at the site, and all four crew members had been taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Kobzev said preliminary information indicated engine failure as the likely cause of the crash. The Tu-22M3, a modernised version of the original Tu-22 plane, can deliver Kh-22 (AS-4 Kitchen) air-launched cruise missiles as well as the air-launched hypersonic Kinzhal "Dagger" missiles, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

8 killed in B-2 bomber crash at US base

The crash came on the same day when an American B-2 bomber met an accident, resulting in the death of all eight on board. Aerial footage showed virtually nothing left of the aircraft that went down around 11:20 am Monday during a routine test mission at Edwards Air Force Base, which is north of Los Angeles.

Black smoke rose from a large swath of charred desert near the runway on the base, with emergency vehicles nearby. Those on board included government contractors and uniformed military.

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After reviewing footage of the crash, it was determined that no one could have survived, Col James Hayes, the deputy commander for the 412 test wing at Edwards, said at a news conference.

"We lost eight great Americans," Hayes said, adding that officials were working to notify their families. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, and it could take up to six months to complete an investigation, Hayes said, but shared that the B-52 was supporting the "radar modernisation programme".

(With inputs from agencies)

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