More than 15 MiG-31BM and Su-27 fighter jets redeployed from home stations in the Tver region to operational airfields in the Astrakhan region in the south of Russia within the combat readiness inspection, the country’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced.

During the execution of combat missions, the crews of high-altitude fighters completed the accelerated preparation of combat vehicles for take-off and made pair synchronous take-offs. All this took them no more than 20 minutes.

The flight personnel have received their flight tasks and started navigational calculations which are then put into the flight computers of aircraft.

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The primary objective of the exercise is to check the readiness of the flight crew to perform combat and special tasks for the intended purpose, as well as practical training of new tactical methods and methods of actions with full use of the combat capabilities of aviation equipment.

The exercise involved more than 15 military fighter and special aircraft.