Russian fighter jet crashes in Black Sea amid Ukraine conflict

Russian multi-role aircraft Su-30SM disappeared from radar on the night of September 10. It ultimately crashed into the Black Sea. Ukrainian channels reported this on social media.

The Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine confirmed the destruction of the Russian Su-30SM fighter. Ukraine acknowledged that special forces soldiers destroyed a combat aircraft belonging to the 43rd Separate Naval Aviation Regiment of the Russian Aerospace Forces during an operation in the Black Sea.

The Su-30SM aircraft was stationed at an airport in Saki in temporarily occupied Crimea. Around 11 PM Eastern Time, the occupiers lost contact with the pilots controlling the machine.

Three hours later, the Russians began a search and rescue operation involving an An-26 aircraft and Mi-8 and Ka-27 helicopters.

After several hours, search participants reported to the command a characteristic fuel slick discovered in the sea 43 miles northwest of Cape Tarkhankut. Then, they also saw the wreckage of the destroyed Su-30SM.

The event was first reported by the pro-Ukrainian channel Crimean Wind on Telegram, citing Russian media reports. The aircraft was supposed to be flying together with a Su-35S fighter.

The mission's goal was to launch Kh-31P anti-radiation missiles as part of the support for another drone and missile attack on Ukraine. The machine launched four out of six missiles and disappeared from radar screens northwest of the Crimean Peninsula.

The Crimean Wind channel commented that the lack of information about the crew's fate might be why channels close to the Russian Aerospace Forces remain silent. It is unknown whether to publish obituaries or inform about a successful Russian combat rescue operation.

Although Russia has not confirmed the loss of the aircraft, Ukrainian media have reported that the Russian machine fell victim to Ukrainian F-16 pilots. However, as Defence24 notes, the downing of the Russian Su-30SM by an F-16 is only one of the possible scenarios, as the Patriot system could also have contributed, given its range would allow for the destruction of the Russian aircraft.

The machine could have also had an accident. After launching four Kh-31P missiles, a malfunction could have occurred, leading to the loss of the aircraft.

The Su-30SM is a Russian multi-role aircraft developed based on the Indian version of the Su-30MKI. The machine was created for the Russian Air Force. It can refuel in flight and has a system that generates false radar images of the aircraft.

Experts believe that the Su-30SM fighters could be the main opponents of the F-16 in aerial combat. The cost of such an aircraft is about 50 million dollars.