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Russian Knights aerobatic group receives four latest Su-35S fighter jets

The pilots of the Russian Knights aerobatic group underwent the relevant training at the Defense Ministry’s State Center for Aviation Personnel Training and Operational Tests in Lipetsk

MOSCOW, November 12. /TASS/. Four latest Sukhoi Su-35S fighters have arrived for the Russian Knights aerobatic group based at the Kubinka airfield near Moscow, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday.

"The ground personnel of the Aircraft Demonstration Center accepted the planes at the manufacturing plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, during which they checked the assembly quality and the operation of all the systems and mechanisms on the ground. In order to complete the acceptance of the batch of Su-35S fighters, the aerobatic group’s flight personnel flew the aircraft in controlling flights, after which they delivered the planes to the Kubinka airfield in the Moscow Region as their permanent base," the ministry said.

The pilots of the Russian Knights aerobatic group underwent training at the Defense Ministry’s State Center for Aviation Personnel Training and Operational Tests in Lipetsk to learn to operate Su-35S planes, the ministry added.

"After the delivery of the new Su-35S planes, the crews of the Russian Knights will continue flying all types of aircraft operational in the squadron," the ministry said, adding that Su-30SM fighters had arrived for service in the aerobatic group in 2016.

The Su-35S is a heavily upgraded generation 4++ supermaneuverable multipurpose fighter jet developed on the basis of fifth-generation technologies. The Su-35S is distinguished by its new avionics suite based on the information control system, the new radar, plasma ignition engines of the increased capacity and thrust vectoring. These engines meet the requirements for the powerplant of fifth-generation fighters as they allow developing supersonic speed without using an afterburner.

The Su-35S supersonic fighter jet performed its debut flight on February 19, 2008. The fighter jet is a derivative of the Su-27 plane. The Su-35S weighs 19 tonnes, has a service ceiling of 20,000 meters, can develop a maximum speed of 2,500 km/h and has a crew of one pilot. The fighter jet’s armament includes a 30mm aircraft gun, up to 8 tonnes of the weapon payload (missiles and bombs of various types) on 12 underwing hardpoints. The Su-35S has been in service with the Russian Army since 2015.

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