MOSCOW, May 9. /TASS/. The Russian Air Force prepared a grandiose show for the major national military parade that was held on Moscow’s Red Square on Saturday to mark the 70th anniversary since victory in World War II.
More than 140 helicopters and aircraft made a gala overflight over the center of city and Red Square.
The airshow was opened by the Chief Commander of the Air Force, Gen Viktor Bondarev who steered a Tupolev-160 strategic bomber known in Russia as the ‘White Swan’.
The helicopter display featured the world’s biggest helicopter Mi-26, as well as the Mi-35M frontline helicopters and Ka-52 ‘Alligator’ strike helicopters.
The ceremonial column of aircraft was led by the Antonov-124-100 Ruslan airlifter, which is the world’s largest at the moment. An Ilyushin-78 fuel tank and a Tupolev-95M strategic bomber showed refueling in midair.
A ‘tactical wing’ aerobatic element was displayed by pilots from the Lipetsk Aviation Center on the Sukhoi-34, Sukhoi-27 and MIG-29 fighter jets.
A combined team of pilots of the Russkiye Vityazi (Russian Knights) and Strizhi (Swifts) aerobatic groups showed a Diamond from Kubinka element - a diamond consisting of five Sukhoi-27 and four MIG-29 fighters.
The highlight of the airshow was the figure ‘70’ made up of MIG-29 and Sukhoi-25 fighters that floated in the air over Red Square.
The aerial display was rounded up by six Sukhoi-25 fighters that ejected the colored fumes in a resemblance of the Russian national tricolor waving in the air.
The airshow was preceded by a march-past of a column of army vehicles, artillery pieces, tanks and missile complexes traversed Red Square on Saturday as part of the Victory Day Parade devoted to the 70th anniversary since the end of World War II.
A historical part of the presentation was performed by servicemen of the famous Kantemirovsky Tank Devision, with the legendary wartime tanks T-34-85 leading the party. The T-34 became a legend of ground battles on the Eastern Front of World War II. They were followed by SU-100 self-propelled artillery mounts.
The Russian military displayed a variety of armored cars this year, including the Tiger and the Typhoon vehicles, and newest means of transportation for the Airborne Troops, infantry combat vehicles BMD-4M.
The tank section of the march-past featured the T90A tanks and a new arrival in the field, the Armata tank that has an entirely new multirole platform, which the manufacturer, the world-famous Uralvagonzavod corporation plan to use for a long range of other army vehicles.
Missile defenses featured the antiaircraft missile complexes Buk and Tor.