Posted on 11/14/2016 5:52:58 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
A fighter assigned to the Russian carrier operating in the Eastern Mediterranean crashed during a landing approach on Sunday, a U.S. defense official confirmed to USNI News on Monday.
The Mikoyan MiG-29K was part of a trio of MiGs that had sortied from Russian carrier Admiral Kuznetsov headed over Syria. At one point, for unknown reasons, one of the fighters turned back to the carrier and crashed while on approach to the carrier, the official said.
Russian state media confirmed the crash on Monday afternoon.
“An aviation accident with carrier-based fighter MIG-29K occurred during exercise flights as a result of a technical fault during the approach landing a few kilometers from the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft-carrying cruiser,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement published by state-controlled media. “The Russian aircraft carrier group continues its activity in the Mediterranean Sea as planned. The flights of sea-based aviation continue.”
According to Combat Aircraft magazine, a search and rescue helicopter from the carrier recovered the pilot who ejected from the aircraft.
“Initial indications are that the aircraft was a two-seat MiG-29KUBR version,” reported the magazine. “Operated by the 100th Independent Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiment, a total of four MiG-29KR/KUBRs were understood to be on board the carrier.”
NATO ships monitoring the carrier strike group offered assistance in the rescue operations, but the Russians declined, a NATO official told USNI News on Monday.
While details of the crash are few, the loss of the MiG-29 highlights weaknesses in Russia’s carrier aviation capability, Eric Wertheim — naval analyst and author of U.S. Naval Institute’s Combat Fleets of the World — told USNI News on Monday.
Russian aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov in transit to the Mediterranean Sea on Oct. 18, 2016. UK MoD Photo
While the MiG-29s are considered to be technically capable aircraft, Russian naval aviation has suffered in the realms of personnel, he said.
“Carrier aviation is a dangerous business but one of the big challenges the Russians have is they don’t have a wide pool of people with these skills,” Wertheim said. “A few years ago there were stories they were largely contractors as pilots. They’ve been trying to pass that skill on but there’s not the ability to do that because the pool is small and they’re not a lot of facilities available.”
A Russian carrier aviation training center near Ukraine was supposed to go online in 2015 but there are indications that the installation is still being constructed.
While few details of the MiG’s mission are available, fighters launching from the carrier have been flying armed missions from Admiral Kuznetsov over the Aleppo region since last week. While no fighters launching from the carrier have dropped ordnance on targets, an official told USNI News that six Sukhoi Su-33s that entered the region on the carrier, have left the ship and are operating from land striking targets near Aleppo.
The surface action group made up of Admiral Kuznetsov cruiser Peter the Great and two Udaloy-class guided missile destroyers plus auxiliaries — is operating south of Cyprus as of last week. Russian officials have said for the last two weeks forces were set to strike rebels near Aleppo.
If one crash severely limited carrier task forces, we wouldn’t have any.
Stuff happens. Life goes on.
The media seems to be humping this story for all it’s worth.
Carrier landings are inherently dangerous. Hundreds of American aviators and scores on deck have been killed since the 1920s.
Russia/Soviet Union have a storied aviation history.
Best place for aviation buffs to see it is in the Monino Museum.
If you’re ever in Moscow, the electrichka ride there is certainly worth your time.
“Storied” is a good word for it.
Is the MiG-29 that huge sucker they have?
Flop Gun?
It could happen to anyone. It says nothing about the safety of routine carrier operations and only points out the risks of overwater operations.
Any word on the crew?
Two seater only one recovered?
Strange. The -29 is a twin engine aircraft. You’d think if one engine failed it could limp back on just one. Then again, just after launch, low, slow, full of fuel and ordnance... Maybe he couldn’t jettison ordnance and dump fuel fast enough? Or if not an engine failure, some other flight critical system like fuel or a significant failure in the fly by wire system.
Any number of flight critical systems could have been the cause.
Under the heading was a “Did you mean... link”
Here it is: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_involving_military_aircraft_(2010%E2%80%93present)
There are some U. S. Aircraft losses there. I didn’t look extensively to see if they involved carriers.
At any rate, my point was that one aircraft loss doesn’t mean a whole battle group is defunct.
Things happen with aircraft. One out of fifty may be faulty on any given day. May not happen for a few years, but machines go south no matter how close to perfect they are.
I appreciate the link.
Exactly...
Good call. Not a big Putin fan here, but it was obvious Obama was out of his depth dealing with him. He and Clinton had us goose-stepping in to WWIII.
Trump comes along and talks with Putin like an adult, and the tensions dissipate almost instantly. Now we’re going to cooperate against ISIS. Mr. Smarty Pants could have had that deal.
This is the idiotic thing about the press. Obama had us on a possible nuclear war doorstep, and Trump deflates the problem with one simply conversation.
None the less they think Obama was incredibly astute at foreign relations and Trump is a dufus who will get us into trouble unintentionally.
The press (and others) are nuttier than a fruitcake.
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