Last Friday (27), a Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer ground attack jet of the Russian Air Force crashed 95km west of the city of Perm, in the Ural Mountains. The two crew ejected and are safe.
According to the press service of the Central Military District of Russia, the aircraft was flying to a maintenance facility where it would undergo scheduled repairs, when it suffered the accident. The Su-24 crashed in a forested area, leaving no casualties or major damage. A search and rescue helicopter was sent to the scene, where the pilot and navigator were found and rescued.
The Su-24 was developed in the 1960s as a supersonic ground-attack and reconnaissance jet with variable-geometry wings. The aircraft has two Lyulka AL-21 turbojets and can carry up to eight tons of bombs, rockets and missiles in addition to carrying a 23mm rotary cannon. More than 380 Fencers are in service worldwide, making it one of the most used combat aircraft in the world.
