WATCH: Russian Jet Malfunctions In Air, Lands Without Landing Gear – Shocking video footage (see below) shared on social media this month shows a Russian jet landing on a runway without any landing gear. The dramatic video appears to show a Russian Su-25 that suffered a malfunction while in the air, meaning that the landing gear would not deploy while in the air.
Unable to forcefully make the landing gear deploy, the pilot was forced to land without using them.
MORE: Donald Trump Is Destroying Himself
MORE: Mach 3 SR-71 Spy Plane Beat 4,000 Missiles
MORE: B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber – Built for a China War?
MORE: Will Putin Start World War III Over Ukraine?
The video begins with the jet still in the air and approaching a landing strip. The malfunction must have already been communicated to the team on the ground as the camera operator appeared to anticipate that the landing would not go ahead as normal.
As the plane approaches the ground, it begins to scrape along the ground causing a huge amount of sparks.
A parachute soon deploys from the back of the plane, slowing it down dramatically and shortening the distance the plane would need to travel on the ground to come to a halt.
Little other information was given about the video, including where the landing took place and whether the pilot and others on board are safe. However, despite the sparks, the plane remained upright during landing and came safely to a stop.
The video, which first did the rounds on Telegram, was picked up by Ukraine Weapons Tracker and shared widely on Twitter.
“A Russian Su-24 jet suffered damage or a malfunction and was forced to land without landing gear,” the account writes.
“The full extent of damage is unclear, but unlikely to be flying again very soon.”
Is Russia Struggling to Maintain Aircraft?
While the video could simply reveal an accidental malfunction – something that could technically happen to any piece of military equipment – it could also indicate that Russian soldiers and mechanics are struggling to properly maintain vehicles and aircraft on the battlefield. Shortages of parts, caused by Western sanctions could be to blame.
In September, videos also showed another Su-25 fighter jet losing control and crashing in Crimea.
A U.S. military official also revealed this week that Russian forces are quickly using up their arsenal of fresh ammunition and are now firing decades-old ammunition instead – raising the risk of further malfunctions that could put Russian soldiers in danger.
Business Insider reported that, according to the official, Russian forces are assessing their overall tolerance for “increased failure rates” and “unpredictable performance” as a result of using old, degraded munitions.
Russian forces are also becoming increasingly reliant on old tanks and military vehicles.
Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor.
