File picture of a Yakovlev Yak-130 combat trainer aircraft. - Reuters
HANOI: Search crews rescued two Vietnamese pilots Wednesday (Nov 6) night after they went missing when their military aircraft crashed during training in the south-central coastal province of Binh Dinh, VietnamNet news website reported, citing information from telecom provider Viettel.
The first pilot was rescued shortly before 8pm, while the second one was discovered about two hours later, according to the news website. Both were in stable condition, according to the report, which cited a representative of Viettel, the company that assisted in the searches with mobile signal tracking.
Earlier, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported that the pilots were missing after parachuting from the Russian-made Yak-130 military aircraft.
Vietnam has long relied on Russia for weapons, including aircraft and submarines. The two nations have military ties going back decades. Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, though, Vietnam has been seeking to diversify its arms suppliers. - Bloomberg
