MOSCOW. Sept 19 (Interfax-AVN) - The Tu-160 strategic bomber that crashed in the Saratov region on Thursday had been accompanied by another missile-carrying bomber, on which the Russian defense minister had flown in August, a source in the Air Force's Central Staff has told Interfax. Tu- 160 missile-carrying bomber from the Engels air base in the Saratov region to Vladivostok to attend command post exercises of the Pacific Fleet. This airplane was accompanying the Tu-160 on its flight from the Saratov region to the Far East," the source said.
Ivanov traveled abroad the Alexander Molodchy airplane. "The name of the bomber that crashed on Thursday was Mikhail Gromov," the source said.
The Tu-160 bomber crashed in the Saratov region at 11:04 a.m. Moscow time on Thursday, killing all four crewmembers.