"On 22 January, the Tu-22M3, after completing a scheduled training flight in the Murmansk region, made a hard landing when it encountered heavy snow… According to a report, two pilots were taken to a medical facility, where they’re receiving the necessary assistance. Two crew members were killed", the ministry said in a statement.
The doctors estimate the surviving pilots to be in grave condition, according to a source.
The Tu-22M3 is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Tupolev Design Bureau and designed to destroy naval and ground targets at a distance of up to 2,200 km from home-based airfields with guided missiles and bombs.
READ MORE: Locked and Loaded: Russia's Tu-22M3 Bombers to Boast Advanced Cruise Missiles
The first experimental flight was carried out in 1977, and in March 1989 the aircraft was finally put into service.
