A second Russian jet belong to the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov operating off Syria has crashed, according to reports.
This time, an Su-33 skidded off the deck after an arresting gear cable snapped. According to Kremlin-backed Russia Today, the Defense Ministry said the pilot ejected before the plane crashed into the sea.
The ministry said “Naval aviation sorties are continuing in accordance with their tasks,” RT reported.
In mid-November, a MiG-29 crashed after takeoff. In both cases, the pilot ejected unharmed.
This is the first combat deployment for the 30-year-old carrier, which has been plagued with technical problems and often sails with a tugboat. With much fanfare and an equal amount of derision, the ship arrived off the coast of Syria this fall to begin airstrikes.
Last month, IHS Jane’s reported that many of the jets that ship brought to the area are now being flown from an air base in Syria, and no longer from the ship.
Satellite imagery showed eight Su-33s and one MiG-29 were parked at the Humaymim Air Base in Latakia, Syria.
“We don’t think the Russians are flying as many sorties off their carrier as they would want the world to think,” a senior U.K. officer told IHS Jane’s.
