Russian long-range bomber makes belly landing

MOSCOW – The Russian military says one of its long-range bombers has landed on its belly after suffering an engine malfunction.

The Defence Ministry said the crew of the Tu-22M3 bomber landed the plane in a field in the Astrakhan region of southern Russia, away from populated areas, on Tuesday.

The ministry said that the two crew members were unhurt in the incident and left the plane on their own.

It noted that the bomber was on a training mission and wasn’t carrying weapons.

The Tu-22M3, code-named Backfire by NATO, is a long-range twin-engine supersonic bomber designed in the Soviet Union. Such bombers took part in the Syria campaign, flying missions from their bases in Russia.