Advanced Russian fighter jet crashes on test flight

Dec. 24 (UPI) -- One of Russia's most advanced stealth fighters crashed during a test flight Tuesday, but the pilot ejected safely.

The fifth-generation Su-57 crashed in Russia's Khabarovsk region. The civilian pilot made it out of the plane and was recovered after a search.

The fighter jet was returning to its home base when it crashed about 70 miles away, the Russian government said.

The crash is believed to have been caused by a failure of the plane's control system.

The Su-57, a rival to the U.S. F-22 Raptor stealth jet, is designed to avoid air defense systems. Russian officials said the model has already been tested successfully in combat situations in Syria.

"They successfully completed all their planned tasks," Russian military official Valery Gerasimov said last week.