Although a Rwandan missile struck the Su-25 Congo as it was coming in for a landing, the pilot was still able to maintain control and make a safe landing.
Images posted to social media on January 25 depict the moment the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Su-25 attack plane was struck by a shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile while making a landing at Goma International Airport the day before.
The Su-25 is seen in the video flying over a residential neighbourhood at a low altitude and slow speed while preparing to land by lowering its landing gear. Behind the plane’s tail, a rocket appeared out of nowhere and burst, sending up a sizable blaze.
The right wing of the aircraft was on fire as it continued to fly towards the airport, narrowly missing an accident. Later airport photographs showed the pilot leaving the cockpit as fuel from the right wing caught fire and started to flow down the runway.
An adjacent country to the DRC, the Republic of Rwanda, claimed responsibility for the assault. The Su-25 was accused of “infringing the airspace” by the Rwandan government spokesman’s office, who also noted that the nation’s troops had “taken defensive measures.”
The launch of a missile by Rwanda, according to DRC officials, was “an act of premeditated aggression akin to a declaration of war.” “In Congolese airspace, the strike was directed against a Congolese aircraft. The Su-25 never flew over Rwanda “According to the DRC government statement.
The border between the DRC and Rwanda, where tensions have risen recently over the fight between the Congolese government and Rwanda-backed rebels, lies more than a kilometre from Goma International Airport.
