MOSCOW, January 22. /TASS/. The crews of MiG-31BM high-altitude supersonic interceptor fighters of Russia’s Central Military District held an aerial battle with a notional enemy in the stratosphere during tactical flight drills in Central Siberia, the District’s press office reported on Wednesday.

"An aerial battle involving six interceptor fighters became the basic element of the drills. The interceptor fighters stayed at a distance of 200 meters from each other and controlled a 600 km section of the airspace at an altitude of 17,000 meters," the press office said in a statement.

The pilots also practiced various piloting elements in the entire range of altitudes at speeds of 1,500 km/h to 3,000 km/h, the statement says.

The aircraft crews employed the Zaslon onboard radars to spot the intruders. These radars are capable of automatically tracking low-signature air targets without the help of ground-based air defense capabilities. After detecting the targets, the pilots aimed and electronically launched air-to-air missiles, the press office specified.

"For the purpose of increasing their cohesion, the crews alternately simulated the intruders. Data from the video monitors of display and sighting systems recorded target destruction," the press office informed.

The MiG-31BM high-altitude supersonic interceptor-fighter is equipped with an advanced control system and can detect targets at a distance of 320 km and strike them within a radius of 280 km. The aircraft is capable of tracking up to 10 air targets and accomplishing combat assignments in the stratosphere.