Russian MiG-29K from Adm. Kuznetsov aircraft carrier has crashed in Mediterranean sea

Pretty embarrassing incident for the Russian aircraft carrier at its debut in the air war in Syria. Fortunately, the pilot ejected safely according to the first reports.

As reported by Combat Aircraft a Russian Navy Mig-29KUBR embarked aboard Adm. Kuznetsov aircraft carrier has crashed on Nov. 13.

The aircraft is one of the four naval Fulcrums operated by the 100th Independent Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiment.

According to our sources, the incident occurred around 14.30Z and involved a two-seater Fulcrum in a formation of three Mig-29s operating from the carrier in the eastern Mediterranean Sea off Syria: whilst one of the remaining aircraft recovered aboard the Kuznetsov the third one diverted for unknown reasons to Syria.

Footage allegedly showing Mig-29s in the skies over Aleppo had happered earlier on the same day.

The pilot of the doomed aircraft ejected safely and was rescued by a helicopter while the Russian Navy radioed all the nearby vessels to remain 5NM away from the crash point.

Needless to say the incident unfolded while several NATO aircraft and warships closely monitored the operations aboard Russia’s only carrier.

 

Salva

Salva

About David Cenciotti
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.

10 Comments

  1. Fanbois just waiting to see the Russians fail. Well it was bound to happen. After tens of thousands of sorties they were bound to slip up once.

  2. I wonder why the other Mig-29 didn’t recover on the Kuz?
    Anyway this happens, seems like were loosing hornets almost weekly recently. Just glad the pilot (pilots?) survived.

  3. Why would this be terribly embarrassing? Aircraft sometimes have problems and crash. Military aviation is dangerous. I could see it being embarrassing if the guy was hot-dogging and did something stupid to lose the jet, I haven’t heard anything like that with this case.

    • The US has 21 aircraft carriers, including 12 supercarriers double the size of Russia’s single carrier. These carriers combined aircraft compliment is well over 1000. The loss of a single Mig-29K represents a 25% reduction in their fleet of those craft (their only effective carrier strike fighter jet.) The US Navy and Marines would have to lose around 230 F-18s to be at 25% losses of their primary strike aircraft.

    • “The Kuznetsov’s mission burns some assholes…”

      Yeah, screw those asshole civilians in Aleppo. (That was sarcasm in case anyone couldn’t tell.)

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