On the night of July 25–26, a Su-27UB combat training aircraft was destroyed at the Armavir airbase in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai. The incident was reported by Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR).
According to HUR, the aircraft caught fire while parked on the runway. The destroyed Su-27UB belonged to Russia’s Aerospace Forces and was used for training cadets at the Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation School. The Armavir airfield is recognized as one of the key training centers for Russian military pilots.
Local residents have reported a complete loss of communication in areas near the airbase. The cause of the fire has not been disclosed. Ukraine’s military intelligence emphasized that “resistance to the Kremlin regime within Russia is growing.”
The Su-27 is a fourth-generation Soviet-designed fighter jet, built for air superiority missions and capable of striking ground targets. It can operate in all weather conditions, fly at supersonic speeds, and carry nuclear weapons. The Su-27UB is a twin-seat trainer-combat variant used for pilot instruction.
The Su-27 has a top speed of 2,500 km/h and an operational ceiling of around 19,000 meters. Its combat radius is approximately 1,340 kilometers. The aircraft is powered by two AL-31F afterburning turbojet engines, each producing up to 12,500 kgf of thrust. It features ten hardpoints for mounting air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles.
The Su-27 airframe has served as the basis for a wide range of aircraft that remain central to Russia’s combat aviation. This includes the carrier-based Su-33, the upgraded Su-27M, the multirole Su-30 and Su-35 fighters, as well as the Su-34 tactical bomber. As of 2019 estimates, the Su-27/30 family ranked among the three most widely deployed fighter types globally and continued to form the backbone of Russia’s Aerospace Forces.
Source: GUR
