Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashed in the Irkutsk region of Russia

A Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashed in the Cheremkhovsky district of the Irkutsk region of the Russian Federation.

Telegram channel 112 reported on this.

According to other local media reports, the plane caught fire in the sky and then began to descend rapidly.

It is detailed that the bomber crashed near the village of Mikhailovka, 100 meters from the federal highway R-255.

According to eyewitnesses, the pilots managed to eject, but their condition is still unknown.

The bomber most likely crashed as a result of a technical malfunction.

Tu-22M3 bomber

The Tu-22M3’s first flight took place in 1977. It was brought to its current form in 1989 when it entered service. The last plane rolled off the assembly line in 1993.

The aircraft’s crew consists of three Kh-22 missiles, which can be carried. The length is 42.45 m, the height is 11.05 m, and the wingspan is 34.28 and 23.8 m, depending on the sweep mode.

The aircraft is equipped with two NK-25 engines, each of which has a thrust of 14.5 thousand kilograms in normal operation and 25 thousand in afterburner mode.

The flight range without refueling is up to 7 thousand kilometers.

The flight range is 6 thousand kilometers, and with the maximum load, it is 2.4 thousand.

It is reported that as of 2024, Russia has 57 Tu-22M3s in its arsenal.