The Russian Air Force has suspended the flights of MiG-29 fighter jets following a crash in Astrakhan region that killed two pilots, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.
A Russian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jet crashed 43 kilometers (27 miles) away from the town of Akhtubinsk in the Astrakhan region earlier on Thursday.
“Following the crash of the MiG-29 fighter in Astrakhan region, all flights of this kind of jets have been suspended by the Russian Air Force Chief Committee,” Colonel Igor Konashenkov said, adding that the freeze in the flights would last until the cause of the crash is established, as is standard practice.
Konashenkov said that both pilots were high class specialists.
Akhtubinsk is home to the Russian Air Force’s test and tactical evaluation center, but it is not yet known if the aircraft came from that base.