The Russian Defense Ministry said a Tu-22M3 strategic bomber had a technical problem and crashed in Siberia, eastern Russia.
“On August 15, a Tu-22M3 bomber crashed in the Irkutsk region during a routine flight. The crew ejected. The aircraft crashed in an uninhabited area and caused no damage on the ground. According to preliminary information, the cause of the accident was a technical failure,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev said rescuers had arrived at the scene and found the four pilots safe. Video on social media showed the bomber on fire on the ground, as rescuers worked to reach the scene in the dark.
Irkutsk Oblast is located in Siberia, eastern Russia, far from the areas of ongoing fighting with Ukraine in the west of the country.
The Soviet Union developed the Tu-22M bomber in the late 1960s. The Tu-22M3 variant first flew in 1977 and entered service six years later, primarily performing patrol missions and being ordered to be ready to attack enemy aircraft carrier formations.
The Tu-22M3 has a crew of four, a maximum speed of nearly 2,000 km, a ceiling of 14,000 m, a range of 6,800 km and a combat radius of 2,500 km. The aircraft can carry three Kh-22/Kh-32 anti-ship missiles with a range of 600 km and a conventional warhead weighing one ton, 6-10 Kh-15 missiles or 4 Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.
In addition to missiles, the Tu-22M3 can carry 69 FAB-250 bombs, 18 FAB-500 bombs, 8 FAB-1500 bombs or other types of mines depending on the mission.