The jet crashed in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to land on Russia’s sole aircraft carrier, the Russian Ministry of Defense said Monday in a statement.
As Russia’s lone aircraft carrier and the Russian navy’s flagship, the Kuznetsov is often derided for its age and propensity for mechanical troubles. Its ramped deck and lack of a catapult system mean that jets such as the MiG-29K and Su-33 cannot take off fully loaded with fuel and munitions. The 1,000-foot vessel, a leftover from the Soviet Union, headed toward Syria in October, steaming through the English Channel as a show of force to Western Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.