A Russian MiG-31 fighter jet crashed into the Pacific bordering the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia during a “planned training flight over Avacha Bay”, state-owned news agency TASS reported.
According to state-run news agency TASS, a Russian MiG-31 fighter jet was on a "planned training flight over Avacha Bay" when it fell into the Pacific Ocean near the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The Russian Navy fleet in the Pacific Ocean has sent search and rescue personnel to look for the crew. The aircraft was not armed, according to the Russian military.
The Soviet Union developed the long-range, two-seat MiG-31 jet fighter to combat high-flying hostile aircraft. It was first utilized by the Soviet Air Forces in 1979 when it was first put into service.
It is one of the world's fastest planes, with a top speed of approximately 3,000 km per hour. Russia currently employs the jet despite its advanced age and intends to keep it in the air at least until 2030.
The Russian jet, however, has already encountered a number of problems. On April 26, 2023, a second MiG-31 crashed near Murmansk Oblast. Then, in June 2023, a MiG-31 suffered an engine failure shortly after takeoff, resulting in an onboard fire.
The Russian Defence Ministry reported that two Tu-95MS strategic missile-carrying aircraft successfully completed a scheduled five-hour mission over the Barents and Norwegian Sea on June 5, 2023, prior to the latest crash. In international waterways, including the Arctic, North Atlantic, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, and Pacific Ocean, the ministry said it intends to conduct routine missions.
