Russian Aerobatic Team Gets Four Su-30SM Jets

Russia’s famous aerobatic team, the Russian Knights acquired the first batch of Su-30SM fighters in mid-October.

Famous Russian aces received an upgrade of four Su-30SM fighters to its fleet of Su-27s on October 14. A welcome ceremony of “Russian Knights” was held at the Kubinka airbase, where pilots were met by Colonel-General Viktor Bondarev, the RASF’s commanding officer, Mr. Oleg Demchenko, President of IRKUT Corp. and Mr. Oleg Pankov, the chief designer of Su-30SM, The Hindu daily reported.

Four new aircraft will get pilots an opportunity to start a full-scale training on “rhomb” formation, also known as diamond formation.

According to Russian Aerospace Forces’ commanding officer, “We will keep acquisition of this fighter every year, up to one regiment per year, i.e. 20-24 pieces of these fighters annually”.

By the end of 2016, the Russian Knights will receive a second batch of four Su-30SMs.

Colonel Andrey Alekseev, the leading pilot of “Russian Knights” outlines, “Su-30SM is much easier in control. It is equipped with state-of- the-art systems, what makes its piloting quite comfortable”.

The new fighter is the modern combat a/c with complete onboard avionics systems. Su-30SM is much better than Su-27, precisely in its aiming-navigation system, which allows to make long-range flights without a leading aircraft. An increase onboard fuel load and an in-flight refuelling feature make its flight range unlimited, as limitations are dictated only by a pilot’s physical abilities.