Moscow - Two pilots narrowly escaped with their lives when their Sukhoi-27 fighter jets collided during an air show near Moscow, a Russian military spokesman said Sunday.

The pilots managed to eject to safety after the collision, the Interfax news agency quoted a military spokesman as saying, adding that the wreckage landed in an uninhabited area outside the capital city.

The incident occured in the run up to Russia's MAKS 2009 air and space fair to open Tuesday.

The cause of the collision was not known. (dpa)