Russian & Serbian pilots hone combat & emergency skills in joint drills (VIDEO)
Russian & Serbian pilots hone combat skills in joint air force drills (VIDEO)
(about 9 hours later)
Up to 20 military planes and helicopters with mixed Serbian and Russian crews have been taking part in the annual BARS-2017 joint war games that kicked off in Russia, some 500km from Moscow. The drills saw soldiers engage in combat missions and rescue operations.
Russian pilots teamed up with Serbian air crews to fly combat jets and helicopters during annual BARS-2017 military drills that kicked off in Russia. The rigorous war games involved up to 20 aircraft.
Ruptly’s video shows MiG 29UB fighter jets taking off from the airfield in the Lipetsk Region where Russian airborne special forces performed landings from Mi-8 helicopters. Apart from honing their combat skills, the drills are also focused on accompanying tasks, such as fire extinguishing and search and rescue missions.
The exercises were aimed at “practical training, preparation and conduct of combat operations… to destroy illegal armed formations and perform search operations in a combat situation,” Russian Air Force officer Konstantin Surikov told Ruptly.
Fighter jet and helicopter pilots have been hitting aerial and ground targets at an airbase lying some 500km away from Moscow. BARS 2017 exercise also involved dogfight drills and interception of mock enemy aircraft, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.
During the drills, which are set to wrap up by the end of this week, the mixed crews of MiG 29 UB fighter jets performed aerial stunts and fended off simulated enemy attacks. The flight maneuvers continue into the night when pilots master their landing skills in unfamiliar terrain, the Russian Defense Ministry reported Wednesday.
A Ruptly video showed MiG-29UB fighter jets traversing the skies over an airfield in Lipetsk Region as paratroopers performed fast-rope landings from Mi-8 helicopters.
The drills involved intercepting long distance airborne targets and destroying targets on the ground with airborne weapons, as well as conducting free-flight rocket launches, air cover operations, dogfighting and forced landing of an enemy aircraft, the Russian Defense Ministry said.According to a statement by the Serbian Defense Ministry, 17 Serbian pilots have been taking part in the exercises.
READ MORE: Serbia takes delivery of free MiG-29 fighter jets from Russia
"Depending on the meteorological conditions during the next four days, Russian and Serbian pilots will exchange experience and knowledge in the field of combat use of aircraft in the armaments of both armies," it said in a statement Thursday.
During the drills, which are set to wrap up by the end of this week, mixed Mig-29 crews performed aerial stunts and fended off mock enemy attacks.
A total of 30 sorties have been carried out so far.
The flight maneuvers continued into the night when pilots mastered their landing skills in unfamiliar terrain.
The first BARS war games were staged in 2015 near Astrakhan in southern Russia, and the event has since been staged annually.
The first BARS war games were staged in 2015 near Astrakhan in southern Russia, and the event has been staged annually since then.
