Posted on 12/21/2019 7:51:09 AM PST by tlozo
A Russian bomber crew successfully landed their stricken aircraft in a field after the one of the airplane’s engines failed. The Tu-22M3 bomber was put down away from populated areas and Russia’s air force is now trying to figure out how to recover it for repairs. The incident is just the latest in a long line of disasters—big and small—plaguing the Russian military as it tries to wring as much use out of old, outdated equipment.
The incident, according to Russian state media outlet TASS, took place in southern Russia at the Chkalov State Flight Testing Center. The two-man crew, discovering that an engine had failed, guided the airplane away from populated areas and performed a belly landing. Neither of the crew members were injured but the aircraft itself reportedly sustained some damage.
The Tu-22M3 bomber, known as “Backfire” to NATO, is a long-range bomber originally designed to strike the continental U.S. with nuclear weapons. The aircraft were produced in the 1970s and 1980s and updated versions currently serve with the Russian Air Force. The bombers were recently used to strike targets in Syria. More from Popular Mechanics
The incident is the third involving a Tu-22M3 in three years. In 2017 a Backfire crashed on takeoff, losing a wing. In January of 2019, a Tu-22M3 landing killed the three-person flight crew.
The crash in Astrakan is also just the latest in a series of accidents and disasters involving Russian military equipment. Last week, the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov caught fire during a planned upgrade in port. In July a fire swept through the Russian spy submarine Losharik, killing fourteen sailors. In late 2018, Russia’s largest floating drydock, PD-50 sank, narrowly taking Admiral Kuznetsov with it, and two days ago another floating drydock, PD-16, also sank.
A common denominator among these accidents is aging equipment. Almost all of the equipment involved in these disasters was made (or in the case of PD-50 purchased) by the Soviet Union decades ago. Russia is stuck with the dilemma of trying to keep aging bombers flying and aircraft carriers sailing to prop up its military power, sometimes with tragic results for Russian military personnel.
Old equipment is not necessarily less reliable—the U.S. Air Force has flown the same B-52 bombers and KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling planes for more than 60 years. The difference is that Soviet equipment was never meant to last for three decades or more, as Moscow assumed it would replace aircraft like the Backfire on a regular basis.
Now Russia has not only lacked the funds to buy new bombers, but there was a time after the fall of the Soviet Union when it could not maintain the equipment it had. Many Russian aircraft are likely maintained at a level less than what the U.S. Air Force would consider acceptable, with predictable—and tragic—results.
Less than 500 built. 100 - 1(more like 50) still in service.
“Made in the USA” still has some value doesn’t it?
The Russian Navy is sinking at it’s moorings, tug boats used to follow their only aircraft carrier which now suffered a fire while in port, the Russia army can’t even conquer Ukraine, and now it’s bombers are crashing. Tell me why people are so scared of Russia again?
A: All the way to the scene of the crash.
Surprised this plane apparently wasn’t flyable on the remaining engine and had to be belly landed. One of the advantages of multiple engines is to mitigate this kind of catastrophic failure scenario. Glad the crew survived anyway.
Now, because they've returned to their religious moorings, and have at least a token acknowledgement of God, they're the big evil Bear.....
“Made in the USA” still has some value doesn’t it?
Ask the Iranians and Vietnamese.
Supposedly, equipment made by the USSR was designed to fight a short war, and is not necessarily designed to be durable or fixable. This gave some advantages in cost, weight, performance, etc.
The only reason that the Left hates Russia today is because they make a useful foil against Trump.
Remember Hillary as Oama’s Secretary of State presenting Putin with the Reset Button. Then later Obama caught on mike telling the Russian ambassador that after the election he will be free to make deals favorable to Russia.
Right now anti-Russia is simply a tool to be used against Trump.
Cause they have thousands of nuclear missiles pointed at the US?
That’s the only thing that makes them a superpower.
Sure not their economy.
And one other reason.
Russia has gone capitalist
Remember Putin's speech and letter in Pravda after Obama's first election?
His statement, "America, do not go down the road to communism, for that is what destroyed Russia".
He knows the influence the KGB had on our education system and media.
He is afraid we will re-export communism to Russia in the same way.
‘Tell me why people are so scared of Russia again?’
To keep our eyes off of their collusion with China of course, in making them wealthy with kick backs and China stronger by the theft of our secrets!!
Underestimate your adversary at your own peril.
OK, so aside from all that, how did you enjoy the play, Mrs. Lincoln?
Back in the early-to-mid-’80s the Backfire was the Soviet’s premier supersonic bomber, built in response to the USAF B-1. Today we still fly B-1s and the Backfire is almost completely out of service. The Communists built mostly crap throughout the Cold War, but they built a LOT of each kind of crap to make up for it. The crews that flew these things (and other Soviet aircraft) had to know that they were always just one equipment failure away from death.
Glad to see another one bite the dust
The rest of the world needs strongmen to lead them, even those with market based economies. This is what you get with fewer folks on the same page. We have the same problem but as long as there are more and more 401k’s our folks will go along. Trump is a strongman only in the sense that he bitch-slaps the impeachers and others who get in his way. No need for him to get violent. Just ask the Chicoms and the Iranians.
And they track our Navy by the merchant ships they hit and the tugboats hauling our latest ships back to the dock.
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