The Su-34 fighter bombers collided twice after their aircrews lost visual contact.
On Sep. 6, 2019, two Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighter bombers collided during a training flight over Lipetsk in western Russia.
According to REN TV the aircraft collided twice after their aircrews lost visual contact.
“The collision happened due to pilots’ error. A special commission is examining the details of the accident. In particular, it will determine the extent of responsibility of each of the crews,” said an official in the region.
Despite damages, both pilots were able to land the aircraft after the accident. Nobody should have been injured in the incident.
Noteworthy two other Su-34 fighter bombers during a training mission collided while performing a training mission about 22 miles from the shore in the Sea of Japan on Jan. 18, 2019.
As previously reported both crews ejected from their aircraft.
The Sukhoi Su-34 (NATO reporting name: Fullback) is a Russian twin-engine, twin-seat, all-weather supersonic medium-range fighter-bomber/strike aircraft. It first flew in 1990 and entered service with the Russian Air and Space Force (RuASF) in 2014.
Based on the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker air superiority fighter, the Su-34 has an armored cockpit for side-by-side seating of its two-man crew. The Su-34 is designed primarily for tactical deployment against ground and naval targets (tactical bombing/attack/interdiction roles, including against small and mobile targets) on solo and group missions in daytime and at night, under favorable and adverse weather conditions and in a hostile environment with counter-fire and electronic Warfare (EW) counter-measures deployed, as well as for aerial reconnaissance. The Su-34 will eventually replace the Su-24 tactical strike fighter.
Photo credit: Vadim Savitsky Mil.ru via Wikipedia
