Russian Tu-22M3 bomber makes hard landing on rocky soil after engine failure

A Russian Tupolev Tu-22M3 long-range bomber has made a hard landing after an engine failure during a routine flight over the Astrakhan region, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

The crew of the plane “managed to steer the aircraft away from a residential area and make a landing on soil,” the statement said.

The supersonic variable-sweep wing Tu-22M bomber is part of Russia’s nuclear deterrence triad. The one involved in the Tuesday incident was making a routine flight and didn’t carry weapons at the time, the ministry reported. The crew members were not hurt in the incident.

A fatal crash of a Tu-22M happened in northern Russia in January this year when a sudden snow storm forced the crew to attempt an emergency landing. Two crew members were killed in the incident and two others were seriously injured.

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