Russian Aircraft Carrier Off Syria Loses Second Fighter Jet In Weeks

December 05, 2016

The Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov has lost an Su-33 fighter jet, the second warplane based on the ship to be involved in an accident since it arrived off Syria's coast as part of Russia's campaign in support of government forces in the civil war there.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on December 5 that the Sukhoi fighter was returning from a mission in Syria when it rolled off the deck after the rope of the aircraft's arresting gear broke.

The pilot ejected and survived, the ministry said.

On November 14, a MiG-29 jet crashed several kilometers from the Admiral Kuznetsov.

Russia's only aircraft carrier has been accompanied by a missile cruiser and six other ships in what has been the Russian Navy's largest deployment since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The deployment has been criticized by Western governments as an attempt to boost military support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and intensify air strikes on rebel-held civilian neighborhoods of Aleppo.

Based on reporting by RIA, TASS, and Interfax

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/russia- aircraft-carrier-kuznetsov-second- warplane-lost/28157018.html

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