Russia mulls scrapping obsolete planes after crash: report

MOSCOW - The Russian Defense Ministry is considering taking its obsolete aircraft out of service following the crash of a Tu-154 in December, local Kommersant newspaper reported here Friday.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has issued an order to study the possibility of replacing the Tu-154, Tu-134 and Ilyushin Il-62M airplanes with new models, the newspaper said, quoting several anonymous sources close to the ministry leadership and top aircraft industry managers.

"We are carrying out consultations with the industry, and are selecting the best options," one of the Defense Ministry sources was quoted as saying.

A spokesman for the Industry and Trade Ministry told Kommersant that the state-owned United Aircraft Corporation could produce and supply modern Tupolev, Sukhoi and Ilyushin models.

Currently the Russian Defense Ministry operates dozens of Tupolev and Ilyushin planes manufactured in the 1970s and 1980s.

A Russian Tu-154 aircraft built in 1983 crashed on Dec 25 en route to the Hmeimim air base in Syria into the Black Sea shortly after takeoff from the southern resort city of Sochi, killing all 92 people on board.

The cause of the accident has yet to be announced.