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Tank biathlon contest kicks off in Russia

The seven best crews of T-72B3 tanks and six mechanized infantry platoons in BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles will vie for the right to represent Russia at the 2017 International Army Games

© Yuri Smityuk/TASS

VOLGOGRAD, June 5. /TASS/. An army contest dubbed "Tank Biathlon" and "Suvorov Onslaught" kicked off today at a range in the Volgograd Region as part of the 2017 International Army Games, Russia’s Southern Military District’s press service told TASS today.

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"The Tank Biathlon and Suvorov Onslaught army contests have started at the Prudboy Range in the Volgograd Region today. Over 200 soldiers showcased their skills at the games’ opening ceremony held at the country’s best range - Prudboy. Over 50 combat vehicles took part in the ceremony," the report said.

The opening ceremony showed maneuver and combat capabilities of the Su-24 and Su-25SM aircraft, as well as the Mi-35 and Mi-8AMTSh helicopters, that fired unguided rockets at the mock-up ‘enemy’ targets and conducted tactical landing operations. The BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, T-90S tanks, 2S19 ("Msta-S") self-propelled howitzers and Tornado-G multiple rocket launchers displayed their combat capabilities at the opening ceremony.

The seven best crews of T-72B3 tanks and six mechanized infantry platoons in BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles will vie for the right to represent Russia at the 2017 International Army Games. Representatives from the Eastern, Central, Western and Southern Military Districts, as well as representatives from the Northern Fleet, the Airborne Forces and the Kazan Military Training Center came to the Volgograd Region to take part in the opening ceremony.

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The International Army Games will be held at 22 ranges in Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and China for 14 days of continuous contests from July 29 to August 12. This year’s games will feature an expanded amount of military experts competing in professional skills. Five new paramilitary disciplines will be added to the last year’s 23 disciplines, which include a military police contest dubbed "Guardian of Order," "Military Rally" contest for military vehicle crews, "CIS Warrior" match for servicemen who are members of the Commonwealth of Independent States, contests for unmanned aerial vehicles’ coordination and a match for the best military car inspector dubbed "Road Guard."

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