Ukraine downs $100m Russian supersonic Tu-22M3 bomber
- 9 April, 10:19
Ukrainian drones have destroyed a Russian Tu-22M3 supersonic bomber that is worth $100 million and remains a key component of Russia's Air Force, Ukrainian military reported on Wednesday.
The Kh-22 cruise missile carrier was destroyed a few days ago with the use of drone, the commander-in-Chief of Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said in an interview with a local media outlet.“Just as it landed, it was hit by our drone.”
Moscow has not confirmed the downing of its long-range bomber this month, although, the Russian Defence Ministry said on April 2, that a Russian Tu-22M3 bomber crashed in Kursk region in Siberia due to technical malfunction during a regular flight. It reported that the pilot of the bomber was killed, while three other crew members were forced to eject.
First introduced in 1982, the long-range Tu-22M3 Soviet-era bomber is capable of being armed with KAB-500 guided bombs as well as Kh-22, Kh-15, and Kh-32 missiles. The bomber is a key component of Russia’s long-range air strikes on Ukraine since the start of the war. However, the first case of Ukraine’s downing of this long-range Russian bomber was recorded for the first time in April last year.
Meanwhile, The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces had destroyed 370 Russian warplanes as of April 9, Wednesday.
