Azerbaijan, Baku, 18 February / Trend corr E. Huseynli / On 17 February, the body of the pilot and wreckage of the MIG-29 fighter of the Air Forces of Azerbaijan which crashed during training on 29 January was found, the Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry Eldar Sabiroglu said to Trend.
Both pilots on board the fighter died. Besides the Emergency Situations Ministry and the Defence Ministry, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan and the State Border Service are taking part in the search.
Last year Azerbaijan purchased upgraded MIG-29 aircraft from Ukraine. MIG fighters are produced in Russia. Elena Lvova, the PR head of the Russian aircraft constructing corporation, previously said to Trend that the crash may have been caused by the sale and use of out-of-date equipment.
Lvova said that the producers had suggested several times being involved in the upgrading of the MIG fighters. "Only then we will be liable," she said.
According to Sabiroglu, the body is being identified. The second pilot is still missing.
MIG-29 aircraft, which Azerbaijan uses for protection of its air borders, also crashed during training in Russia, Malaysia, Peru, Slovakia and Armenia.
The MiG-29 "Fulcrum" was designed and built to be a single-seat supersonic, all-weather, air superiority fighter representing the latest and perhaps last fighter production item from the Mikoyan Design Bureau. The primary role of the MiG-29 is to destroy air targets at distances from 60 to 200 kilometres (30 to 110 NM) at all altitudes, on all profiles, in any weather, and under all ECM conditions. In addition, the basic MiG-29 is capable of limited air-to-ground operations and in advanced versions, has been optimized to attack both stationary and moving targets with precision guided munitions.