Russia grounds Tu-95 Bear bomber fleet after deadly crash

One crewmember was killed when a Russian Tu-95 Bear bomber skidded off a runway and caught fire in the eastern part of the country.

By Brandon Turkus
In this U.S. Navy handout, a F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter intercepts one of two Russian Tu-95 Bear long rang bomber aircraft as it approached the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz February 9, 2008 south of Japan. Fighter planes escorted the bomber out of the area. Nimitz was transiting through the Western Pacific on a regularly scheduled deployment when the incident occurred. (Photo by U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
In this U.S. Navy handout, a F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter intercepts one of two Russian Tu-95 Bear long rang bomber aircraft as it approached the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz February 9, 2008 south of Japan. Fighter planes escorted the bomber out of the area. Nimitz was transiting through the Western Pacific on a regularly scheduled deployment when the incident occurred. (Photo by U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
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This post is appearing on Autoblog Military, Autoblog’s sub-site dedicated to the vehicles, aircraft and ships of the world’s armed forces.

Russia has grounded its well-known Tu-95 Bear bomber fleet after a crew member was killed when an aircraft skidded off the runway and caught fire in the far eastern part of the country.

Five other crewmembers suffered burns so severe that specialists were flown into the Ukrainia military base where the incident took place, Stars and Stripes reports. The same story cites a comment from the Russian Defense Ministry to the country’s Interfax news agency, saying the Bear was taking part in a training exercise at the time of the crash.

The Tu-95 is a familiar sight to both American sailors and airmen. The hulking, turboprop, strategic bomber can cover almost 10,000 miles without refueling and is capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Basically, it’s a big, scary airplane, and has become a routine intercept target for NATO and American air forces, like the US Air ForceF-15 shown above.