Democratic Republic of Congo Air Force Su-25 Crash

A Democratic Republic of Congo Air Force Su-25 Frogfoot ground-attack aircraft was lost on 17 June 2026 near Kindu, the capital of Maniema province in central DR Congo. According to aviation-safety reporting based on social-media footage, the jet crashed under unknown circumstances and was destroyed; no official statement on the cause or the fate of the pilot was released. The Congolese Air Force operates a small fleet of roughly six Su-25s, used for ground-attack sorties against armed groups in the country's restive east. Kindu hosts a government airbase well behind the main M23 front line, suggesting an operational accident rather than enemy action, though this remains unconfirmed.