After being forced to shoot down one of its own brand new Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik (Hunter) unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) on or around 5 October, Russia has suffered the loss of an Su-34 fighter bomber, reportedly shot down by one of Ukraine’s new F-16s!
The S-70 ‘loyal wingman’ was reportedly shot down by the Su-57 ‘Felon’ fighter after its datalink failed. This ‘blue-on-blue’ incident saw the S-70 being dubbed a disloyal wingman by at least one wag.
According to a popular Telegram channel reported to be run by a former Russian military aviator, News of the shootdown of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ Sukhoi Su-34 ‘Fullback’ fighter-bomber aircraft on Saturday 12 October, was revealed by the normally accurate Fighterbomber channel, which shared a tribute to the downed Su-34 crew, writing: “The earth is the sky, brothers.”
The loss has not been acknowledged by the Russian Ministry of Defence, nor has Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence claimed the kill. A number of pro-Moscow Telegram channels have acknowledged the loss, and have provided additional details.
The Su-34 was reportedly downed approximately 50 km (30 miles) behind the front line, and has been credited to a Ukrainian F-16 Fighting Falcon.
Source: Aerospace Global News