The incident happened as the jet was conducting a training flight over the Telemba Airfield. A helicopter has been dispatched as part of the search and rescue operation.
“The plane crashed in a deserted place. Both pilots ejected. The pilots have been recovered quickly, there is no danger to their lives,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement, as quoted by RIA Novosti.
The Russian Air Force’s MiG-31 supersonic interceptor is the world’s fastest aircraft in service today.
With a maximum altitude of 30,000 meters, it can even shoot down low-orbit satellites and can also intercept targets flying at speeds of up to five times the speed of sound.
Back in 2016, MiG-31 interceptors took part in Pacific Fleet Air Force drills in the upper atmosphere over Kamchatka in Russia’s Far East.
MiG-31 interceptor crashes in Siberia, both pilots ejected – Russian MoD
26 April 2017
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A MiG-31 military plane has crashed in the Russian Republic of Buryatia, western Siberia. Both pilots managed to eject, the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that their lives are not in danger.
