Russian bomber crash in Siberia: Significant loss for Air Force

A photo of the wreckage of the Tu-22M3 bomber that crashed on August 15 in the Irkutsk region has surfaced online. This is a significant loss for the Russian combat air force. The Tu-22M3 are competent machines used by the Russians during large-scale attacks on Ukraine.

This crash was not a result of Ukrainian actions. Instead, the Russian plane crashed in Siberia during a training flight. Initially, the Russians stated that the cause was a "technical malfunction." Unconfirmed sources suggested it might have been a fire in the left engine.

The Russians also reported that the crash did not cause any ground damage, as the aircraft went down in an uninhabited area. Initially, the crew was said to have safely ejected, but this was corrected a few hours later. One of the pilots died, and the other three were hospitalized due to their injuries. A photo from the crash site shows that the bomber was utterly destroyed.

The Tu-22M3 measures 139 feet in length and has a wingspan of 113 feet. It is a medium-range bomber (up to about 4,350 miles) capable of reaching speeds up to 1,430 mph and operating at an altitude of up to 59,000 feet. It was developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Just this year, the Russians have lost several Tu-22M3 units. Despite this, they still have dozens of such machines, although their condition is unclear. The crash described may be the result of increasingly serious and deepening wear and tear on Russian aircraft.

The Tu-22M3 is used in large-scale attacks on Ukraine. Each bomber can carry up to 53,000 pounds of armament. They have been adapted to use Kh-47M2 Kinzhal cruise missiles with a range of up to 1,240 miles, and Raduga Kh-22 missiles, which Ukrainians admit are challenging to defend against. The Raduga Kh-22 is a missile measuring over 36 feet long, capable of carrying a warhead weighing up to 1,984 pounds over a maximum distance of about 311 miles.