The famous aerobatic demonstration team, the Russian Knights, practiced launches of air-to-air guided missiles. Large-scale drills in the air were conducted over Leningrad Oblast.
Here's Mikhail Fedotov's report, with unique footage taken at an altitude of 26,000 feet.
It accelerated on the airstrip of the Kubinka air base, its afterburners ignited, it took off, and the Russian Knights went behind the clouds. It takes them a bit less than an hour to fly to Ladoga test range. Two Su-30SM multirole fighters are flying in formation. This unique footage was shot at a height of 26,000 feet. The lead fighter launches the target; the trail fighter hits it with air-to-air missiles.
They fly over Red Square at Victory Day parades. They're the famous jewel from Kubinka. The Russian Knights have been impressing spectators all over the world with aerobatic maneuvers for years. But the real combat activity of the pilots has always remained hidden from the prying eyes.
The most important stage of preparations for a combat training flight is now taking place at the airfield. They're attaching air-to-air missiles to the Su-30SM — one missile under each wing. 10 Russian Knights crews went into the air today. The trail crews — two pilots fly every Su-30SM — intercepted all of the targets.
These drills are also a trial for young Russian Knights by fire. Lieutenant Varlamov piloted the fighter with the tail number of 08.
Andrey Varlamov, pilot: "Of course, it feels great! This is what every young pilot trains for. We serve in fighter aviation, and our main task is to defeat enemy aircraft".
A post-flight debriefing is ahead. New flights are scheduled for the next few days.
Mikhail Fedotov, Pavel Kostrikov, Semyon Shapchenko, and Kirill Aksyonov for Vesti from the Kubinka air base, Moscow Oblast.
