A Russian Su-30SM fighter jet disappeared off radar over the Black Sea on late Tuesday, raising concerns that the aircraft may have crashed.
According to reports from the Telegram channel Crimean Wind, which cited Russian media sources, the jet had been conducting missile launches towards Ukraine before it vanished.
The Su-30SM, a multi-role fighter aircraft, reportedly fired four Kh-31P anti-radiation missiles toward mainland Ukraine during its mission.
It was part of a routine military operation when it disappeared. The aircraft was stationed at the Krymsk airfield in Russia‘s Krasnodar region, which frequently deploys fighter jets for missions in and around the Black Sea amid heightened military tensions in the region.
A Sukhoi Su-34 jet fighter flies in the sky at the ARMY 2019 International Military and Technical Forum, in Kubinka, Moscow region, Russia. On Tuesday, a Russian Su-30SM fighter jet reportedly disappeared over Black Sea.
Eugene Odinokov/Sputnik via AP
Following the disappearance, the Russian Black Sea Fleet initiated a search and rescue operation. According to Crimean Wind, helicopters from the Kacha airbase, including Mi-8 and Ka-27 models, were immediately dispatched to locate the missing aircraft. During the search, teams reportedly identified a significant oil slick spanning approximately 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) in diameter in the designated search area. Additionally, debris believed to be from the aircraft, including a wing, was reportedly discovered.
Despite these reported findings, the recovery of the wreckage has so far been unsuccessful, and the fate of the aircraft and its crew remains uncertain.
The Su-30SM fighter jet, introduced into service by the Russian Air Force in 2012, is considered one of Russia’s most advanced aircraft. It is designed for air superiority missions and can also carry out ground-attack roles.
The latest incident involving the missing Su-30SM adds to a series of recent aviation mishaps in Russia, raising concerns over the safety and reliability of the country’s military aircraft. In late August, a Russian Mi-8 helicopter carrying approximately 20 people went missing, further fueling discussions about the operational challenges facing Russia’s military aviation.
Earlier this year, a Su-34 fighter-bomber crashed in the republic of North Ossetia, killing the crew on board. Similar accidents have occurred in various regions of Russia, including a Mi-8 helicopter crash in the Chelyabinsk region last year, which resulted in the deaths of all passengers.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s armed forces have also successfully taken out a number of Russian aircraft this year using targeted strikes. In June, Ukraine’s military released a map showing where strikes occurred that damaged or destroyed more than 30 Russian aircraft at that point in 2024.
“The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to effectively destroy Russian combat aircraft, including with the use of Western weapons,” the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Center for Strategic Communications (StratCom) said in a Telegram post with its map.
The map showed most of the strikes took place in occupied eastern Ukraine, toward the southern front by the Zaporizhzhia region and Crimea. It also showed attacks over the Sea of Azov and two within Russia.
The aircraft that were hit included nine Sukhoi (Su-25s), one Su-57, one Su-35, one Su-35S, about 13 Su-34s and two Mikoyan (MiG-31s), the Ukrainian StratCom said.
The post also said it struck two Beriev A-50 early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, an Ilyushin Il-22M11 jet-engine bomber and a Tupolev (Tu-22M3) long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber.
