A Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback fighter-bomber crashed during a routine training mission in Khabarovsk region, Russian Eastern Military District press service reported.
“The flight was carried out without armament. The aircraft crashed in a plain intermixed with woodland. No damages on the ground were sustained,” the press release said. There is no information to which unit the aircraft belonged or in which base it was stationed.
Both pilots managed to eject safely and there was no danger to their health, according to the release. A commission was sent to the crash site in order to investigate the incident.
Su-34 Fullback is an all-weather fighter-bomber with an emphasis on ground attack. Developed in the late 80s to replace Su-24 and Tu-22M3, it is based on Su-27 Flanker multirole fighter and mostly classified as a bomber by the Russian military.
In early 2019, two Su-34s collided while on a training mission over the Sea of Japan due to poor visibility. While all four pilots ejected, only one of them was later found alive.