RIA Novosti,
SOCHI: Su-33 Flanker carrier-based fighters will remain on military service, the director general of the Sukhoi aviation holding said Thursday.
Mikhail Pogosyan said, “The military use of the fighters will continue despite the accident on September 5.”
On Monday, a Su-33 fighter crashed off the deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier after its brake cable snapped when it landed during a routine mission in the North Atlantic. It sank to a depth of 1,100 meters (about 3,500 feet).
Pogosyan said it would be impossible to raise the fighter.
He said, however, the future of Su-33 fighters would be finally decided after a special commission investigation the accident completed its work.
The export price for a Su-33 carrier-based fighter is $30 million, he added.
