Two pilots killed in Vietnam military plane crash
Two pilots were killed in Vietnam on 26 July when their training jet crashed into thick jungle in heavy rains, police told AFP from the central mountainous region where the accident occurred.
The pilots were on a training drill when their aircraft crashed around midday in Nghe An province, a local police officer told AFP.
The officer, refusing to be named, said: ‘The two pilots were killed.’
He added that bad weather was hampering efforts to recover the victims' remains.
Images on state media showed a large plume of smoke rising from dense mountain jungles where the plane – a Russian-made Sukhoi SU-22 that belonged to Vietnam's Air Defence Force – went down.
Though Vietnam has a strong civil aviation record, military aircraft accidents are relatively common.
It has seen a series of deadly accidents in recent years, with 14 people killed in four separate military crashes in 2016. Nineteen were killed in similar accidents in 2014.
The communist country buys most of its military equipment from Russia, a Cold War-era ally which supplied weapons used to fight the Americans during the Vietnam War.
But it has sought to modernise its arsenal in recent years, turning to newer allies such as France and Germany to purchase equipment.
US President Donald Trump has urged its former foe to buy more military equipment from American manufacturers in a bid to close its yawning trade gap.
More from Defence Notes
-
US lawmakers warn that “more military spending is absolutely necessary” to ensure Pentagon’s readiness
The US Congress has raised concerns about how inflation rates and cuts in main acquisition programmes could affect the US military.
-
Can the US overcome Russian and Chinese nuclear capabilities?
Washington’s ageing inventory and the pace Moscow and Beijing have been modernising their capabilities put in check the US Nuclear deterrence.
-
US FY2024 funding package passes as China closes military capability gap
The Pentagon has been operating under temporary funding since October 2023, which has impacted its main acquisition and development programmes, increasing the capability gap between the US and China.
-
NATO outlines future challenges as Ukrainian funding from US stalls
In 2023, defence spending increased by an unprecedented 11% across European NATO countries and Canada. Since 2014, the group has spent an additional US$600 billion on defence.
-
US Pentagon to reduce investments in main acquisition programmes over FY2025
The DoD requested nearly US$850 billion to fund operations over the next fiscal year. Despite the amount being 1% higher than the FY2024 budget request, it has not covered the 3% inflation rate, which could impact the DoD’s main programmes in the medium and long term.