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The Swifts aerobatics team to stage an air show in Yekaterinburg on August 17

Yekaterinburg will mark the 290th anniversary of its foundation this year

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

YEKATERINBURG, the Urals, July 29 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian aerobatics team, the Swifts, will stage an air show in Yekaterinburg as part of an air parade on the occasion of the city’s 290th anniversary to be marked on August 17.

“Yekaterinburg will mark the 290th anniversary of its foundation this year. Therefore, the second Air Force and Anti-Aircraft command of the Central Military District decided to organize an unbelievable air parade in the city as a gift for its residents and guests,” the press service of the Central Military District told Itar-Tass on Monday.

Both combat planes and helicopters will take part in the air parade. The spectators will see Su-24M frontline bombers, MiG-31 interceptor fighter jets, the Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters, as well as the world’s biggest Mi-26 transport planes. The military transport planes An-12, An-26, Tu-136 and Il-18 will round out the parade.

The ground exposition will feature anti-aircraft machines: launchers and transportation vehicles of the S-300PS anti-aircraft missile complexes and modern radar stations. The viewers will also see unique specialized vehicles that are used to evacuate crews from the International Space Station (ISS) as well as a Soyuz spaceship in which cosmonauts return to Earth.

“Last year’s air show aroused great interest of the Urals people. We received lots of requests to repeat the show this year. That is why we have expanded the exposition and increased the number of vehicles. Over 25 vehicles will be put on view this year,” Lieutenant-General Viktor Sevastyanov said.

The air show will be timed to coincide with the Russian Air Force Day marked on August 12 and the 290th anniversary of Yekaterinburg to be marked on August 17.

The Swifts is an aerobatics team of the Russian Air Force. It was founded in May 1991. It comprises the best air pilots of the Kubinka air base located in the Moscow region. They perform individual and group exercises on MiG-29 fighter jets. The Swifts and the Russian Knights, another Russian aerobatics team, are the trademarks of the Russian Air Force at home and abroad.

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