New Russian fighter jet crashes during test, pilot ejects safely
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An advanced Russian fighter jet built to compete with top American stealth fighters has crashed during a training mission in the country’s Far East - but its pilot safely ejected, according to reports Tuesday.
The pre-production Su-57 aircraft, a fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, went down about 69 miles from the airfield during a test flight near Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said in a statement obtained by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency. No casualties or damage were reported on the ground.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The aircraft, which belonged to the Sukhoi company, was being piloted by a civilian at the time, an unnamed source told Russia’s Interfax news agency. The Russian military was set to receive its first serial-produced Su-57 this week.
The state-controlled UAC has yet to release what caused the crash.
The Su-57 jets have previously performed during the MAKS-2019 International Aviation and Space Show in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, Russia. (AP)
The Su-57, which made its maiden flight in 2010, is Russia's most advanced fighter plane. It has stealth capability and carries sophisticated equipment and weapons. The twin-engine aircraft has been designed by the Sukhoi company to compete with the U.S. F-22 Raptor stealth fighter.
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Some of them have been successfully tested in combat missions during Russia's military campaign in Syria, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, said last week, according to The Moscow Times.
The crash marks the first loss of a Su-57, 10 of which have been built at Sukhoi's plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur for pre-production tests and combat evaluation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Russian air force has placed an order for 76 such aircraft to be delivered by 2028.
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Earlier this month, the Russian military said one of its long-range bombers made a belly landing after suffering an engine malfunction during a training mission. No one was injured during the incident.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.