MOSCOW, January 16 (RIA Novosti) - A Su-24 Fencer tactical bomber crashed Monday in Russia's far-eastern Amur Region, the Defense Ministry said.
There were no casualties, as the two pilots safely ejected from the plane and were rescued by a helicopter, the ministry said.
"The doctors described the condition of the pilots as satisfactory," Air Force spokesman Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky said. "The crew has been transported to the base airfield and is undergoing a medical examination."
"According to preliminary data, a control failure caused the accident," he said, adding that the plane had been guided to an area where the pilots could eject safely after receiving permission from an air traffic control center.
A special committee has been established to investigate the crash.
The Su-24 is a tactical bomber with similar capabilities to those of the American F-14 Tomcat or the British Tornado. It can maintain supersonic speeds while flying low and is equipped with terrain-following radar and laser-designators for guided weapons, which means the plane can approach enemy targets beneath radar coverage and attack with pinpoint accuracy.
About 650 Su-24s are thought to have been built, but many have been removed from service since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
