MOSCOW, June 18 (RIA Novosti) - Flights by Russia's
Su-24 Fencer tactical bombers will continue despite a crash on
Wednesday in the north of the country, a Defense Ministry
spokesman said on Thursday.
A Su-24 aircraft crashed on a runway upon landing in the
Murmansk Region, but both pilots ejected safely and there was
no destruction reported on the ground.
"This Su-24 crash is not a catastrophe and therefore
flights by this type of aircraft have not been suspended," the
spokesman said.
A source in the ministry said earlier that a special
commission, set up to investigate the cause of the incident,
had already begun decoding flight records, which remained in a
good condition despite the aircraft burning up.
The Su-24 is a two-seat, twin-engine tactical bomber
similar to NATO's Tornado and Mirage 2000 planes.
The plane has been in service with the Russian Air Force
since the mid-1970s. However, in recent years Russia has
gradually been phasing out the planes, which have a patchy
safety record.
According to the Defense Ministry, the Su-24 will be
gradually replaced with new Su-34 Fullback strike aircraft,
which has the potential to become the top plane in its class
for years to come.
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