MOSCOW, June 15 (AVN) - Two federal SU-25 Frogfoot attack planes disappeared from radar screens near the village of Shatoi in the southern Chechen Argun gorge on Thursday, a spokesman for the Air Force command told the Military News Agency.
The planes took off from the Mozdok airfield at 16.37 Moscow time (1237 GMT) and disappeared at 16.55 Moscow time (1255 GMT), the spokesman said. Radio communication with the aircraft was disrupted simultaneously.
Search and rescue planes and helicopters took off immediately and group search parties started combing the area simultaneously. The search continued all night long, but no results have been achieved so far. The operation is supervised by Major General Anatoly Bakushev, inspection chief in the Defence Ministry flight security service.
The lost aircraft were aviated by Lieutenant Colonel Yuri Yakimenko, military sniper pilot, and his wingman, Captain Oleg Podsitkov, senior pilot.
Federal troops lost two SU-25 attack planes in Chechnya in November and December 1999.