The Russian Air Force command has grounded the entire fleet of its Antonov An-22 transports and Tupolev Tu-95MS bombers after an An-22 was destroyed in a crash on Tuesday killing all twelve crew on board, the Force says.

The fact that the Air Force has decided to ground all Tu-95s suggests that engine failure is strongly suspected as the cause - both aircraft types share the Kuznetsov NK-12 turboprop, the largest engine of its kind in the world.

"In order to maintain safety in using these aircraft, which both use this engine, the air force command has decided to suspend operations until the reason for the accident is clear," an Air Force spokesman said.

The An-22 departed from Voronezh airport at 21.00 on Tuesday for the Migalovo airport in Tver region but disappeared from radar screens a few minutes after departure. The remains of the aircraft were found near the village of Krasny Oktyabr in Tula region, about 100 km from Tula.

The An-22 remains the largest turboprop powered aircraft in the world. Around 45 remain in service with the Russian Air Force and most are over 40 years old.

MOSCOW December 29 (RIA Novosti)