KALININGRAD, March 23. /TASS/. Over ten Su-27 multirole fighters from a fighter aviation regiment of the Baltic Fleet’s naval aviation are involved in the tactical flight drills with missile launches in Russia’s westernmost exclave of the Kaliningrad Region, the Fleet’s press office reported on Thursday.
"During the tactical flight exercise, the aviation regiment’s fighter pilots and ground personnel are practicing preparing the equipment for flights, avoiding a notional enemy’s strike and relocating to alternate airfields," the press office said in a statement.
The Su-27 crews will accomplish the objectives of intercepting notional aircraft intruding into the Kaliningrad Region and launching missiles against targets simulating enemy cruise missiles and strategic bombers, the press office said.
During the ground stage of the exercise, the ground personnel, radiation and chemical protection specialists will practice timed operations to land a plane on a notionally contaminated airfield. Aside from sharpening their flight skills, the crews of fighter jets are on round-the-clock combat alert, protecting the airspace of the Kaliningrad Region, the press office said.
The Su-27 (NATO reporting name: Flanker) is a long-range multirole, highly maneuverable all-weather fighter-interceptor developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. The Su-27 is designed to gain air superiority and deliver bombing and missile strikes against ground targets.