Russia Just Grounded Half Of Its Fighter Jets After A Crash

VICE News: Russia Just Grounded Half of Its Fighter Jets After a Crash

The Russian air force grounded its entire fleet of Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets on Thursday after a fatal crash near Moscow. The Su-27, commonly known as Flanker — the code name given to it by NATO, which assigns one to every piece of Russian military hardware — is the backbone of Russia's air force. The grounding means that about half of Russia's fighter jets cannot take to the air.

According to Reuters, aviation sources told Russian agencies the crash looked like the result of an unspecified technical failure.

General Viktor Bondarev, the head of the air force, ordered the country's fleet of the twin-engined fighter jet grounded until the reasons for the crash had been determined, Russian agencies reported.

Thursday's crash occurred just outside Moscow and involved an Su-27 that was part of the air force's aerobatic demonstration team, the Russian Knights, who have overflown annual Red Square military parades in the past.

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More News On Thursday's Russian SU-27 Crash

Fighter jet crash: SU-27 pilot killed near Moscow, failed to eject trying to avoid homes (VIDEO) -- RT
Russia grounds all Sukhoi-27 fighters until causes of air crash near Moscow are clear -- TASS
Elite Russian fighter jet pilot killed in crash -- AP
The Russian air force has grounded its entire fleet of Sukhoi-27 fighter jets -- Reuters
Russia grounds Su-27 jets after crash -- CNN
Russia grounds entire fleet of Su-27 fighter jets after deadly crash -- FOX News
Top Flight Russian Pilot Dies In Crash -- SKY News
Technical fault likely cause for Su-27 fighter crash near Moscow — defense ministry -- TASS