SU-24s Grounded?
Posted: 23 Jun 2009, 18:04
I don't think the author of this article is really knowledgeable on Aviation. His summary in the last paragraph is not accurate. 
Moscow Times
June 22, 2009
Su-24 Bomber Fleet Grounded After 2 Crashes
By Associated Press
An Air Force bomber jet crashed Friday on a training mission in the southern Rostov region, but both pilots ejected safely, Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman Pavel Zemskov said.
It was the second crash of an Su-24 in three days and the third since December, prompting Air Force officials to ground the country's entire Su-24 fleet pending an investigation.
Interfax said the pilots made several attempts to land the twin-engine Su-24 on Friday but were then ordered to bail out after a control system failed.
Another Su-24 crashed Wednesday in northern Russia, but no one was injured. One pilot died in a similar jet that crashed in December in southern Siberia.
RIA-Novosti reported that 12 Su-24s have crashed in the last 11 years, killing 10 pilots.
Virtually all combat jets in the Air Force inventory were built before the Soviet collapse in 1991. The worsening condition of the Air Force planes was highlighted by two crashes of MiG-29s last fall, which prompted the grounding of the entire fleet. A subsequent investigation showed that a large number of the MiG-29s had become unsafe to fly and had to be written off.
Moscow Times
June 22, 2009
Su-24 Bomber Fleet Grounded After 2 Crashes
By Associated Press
An Air Force bomber jet crashed Friday on a training mission in the southern Rostov region, but both pilots ejected safely, Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman Pavel Zemskov said.
It was the second crash of an Su-24 in three days and the third since December, prompting Air Force officials to ground the country's entire Su-24 fleet pending an investigation.
Interfax said the pilots made several attempts to land the twin-engine Su-24 on Friday but were then ordered to bail out after a control system failed.
Another Su-24 crashed Wednesday in northern Russia, but no one was injured. One pilot died in a similar jet that crashed in December in southern Siberia.
RIA-Novosti reported that 12 Su-24s have crashed in the last 11 years, killing 10 pilots.
Virtually all combat jets in the Air Force inventory were built before the Soviet collapse in 1991. The worsening condition of the Air Force planes was highlighted by two crashes of MiG-29s last fall, which prompted the grounding of the entire fleet. A subsequent investigation showed that a large number of the MiG-29s had become unsafe to fly and had to be written off.