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RIA Novosti

Russia

Crashed bomber victim of technical problem - Air Force chief

13:36 17/01/2006
MOSCOW, January 17 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian tactical bomber that crashed Monday in the country's far-eastern Amur Region appeared to have been brought down by a technical problem, with no evidence of any negligence on the part of the crew, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force Vladimir Mikhailov said Tuesday.

"Before the Su-24 aircraft's landing, the wing would not move into position, and the team made 20 landing attempts," he said.

Air Force spokesman Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky earlier said that the flight recorders from the bomber had been recovered.

"Experts say the black boxes are in good condition," he said, raising hopes that the recorders will shed light on what happened.

Nobody was hurt in the incident as the two-man crew of the Su-24 Fencer, which has similar capabilities to the American F-14 Tomcat or the British Tornado, managed to eject and were later picked up by a helicopter.

The Su-24 can maintain supersonic speeds while flying at low altitude and is equipped with terrain-following radar and laser-designators for guided weapons, which means the plane can approach enemy targets beneath radar coverage and attack with pinpoint accuracy.

About 650 Su-24s were built, but many were withdrawn from service since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

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