Russia Military News: 2 Su-34 Fighter Jets Collide During Training

UPDATE: 5:21 a.m. EST— The Russian defense ministry announced that a co-pilot of one of the jets was rescued. The ministry, in a statement, said, “The helicopter pilots of the Eastern Military District have found the co-pilot. The helicopter hovered over the rescue raft at first attempt, and the pilot was picked up by the helicopter. His health condition is satisfactory.”

The ministry also suspended flights of all the Su-34 bombers across the country.

Original story:

Two Sukhoi Su-34 fighter bomber jets collided mid-air during a training flight over the Tatar Strait in Russia on Friday. A search for the crew is ongoing.

The Russian Defense Ministry, at 11:18 a.m. local time (3:18 a.m. EST) Friday, said, “Rescuers found one of the Su-34 pilots who crashed in the Far East. The crew of the An-12 helicopter of the search and rescue support of the Eastern Military District could see the pilot of the Su-34 on a rescue raft. Rescuers are currently trying to get him out of the sea which is being complicated by the storm."

Rescuers spotted emergency lights on the Tatar Strait before they saw the pilot on it. Meanwhile, the other plane landed at the Khurba base with a failed engine.

The news of the collision of the two planes was later confirmed by the Defense Ministry. In a statement, the department of mass communications of the ministry said, “On Jan. 18, at 8:07 a.m. local time during a planned training flight over the sea of Japan, 35 kilometers (21.74 miles) from the coast, two Su-34 planes of the Far Eastern Air Force and Air Defense Association were in contact with the air during maneuvering.”

According to the preliminary data, the accident occurred over the Tatar Strait, not far from the Nelma village of the Sovetsko-Gavansky district in Russia. Two of the seven Su-34 planes involved in a training programme disappeared from the radar and it was assumed they collided in the air. The pilots were believed to be alive as they managed to eject first. Two parachutes were spotted in the sky above the collision spot. A rescue ship from Vanino, one An-12 helicopter and two Mi-8 helicopters were brought in for the search.