MINSK, May 5. /TASS/. Military pilots from Belarus and Russia performed joint aerial patrols in the republic’s airspace, Deputy Commander of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense Troops Colonel Leonid Davidovich said on Friday.

"The Belarusian crews performed flights to patrol the state’s airspace jointly with the crews of the Russian Aerospace Forces. During the flights, the pilots practiced the objectives of patrolling and mutual cover," the Belarusian Defense Ministry’s press office quoted the deputy commander as saying.

Flights in a joint combat formation "give both the leader and the wingman a lot," the deputy commander stressed.

"Our [Belarusian and Russian] crews fly same-type aircraft with same-type armaments and the pilots’ level is about the same and, therefore, it is easy for the crews to interact and jointly accomplish assigned objectives," he said.

Russian and Belarusian aircraft are performing joint flights as part of the next stage of a comprehensive combat readiness inspection that has begun in Belarus and primarily involves units and formations stationed in the Grodno, Brest and Minsk Regions, in particular, Air Force and Air Defense Troops, special operations forces, missile, artillery and logistic support units. The inspection envisages carrying out drills of various scope, including a call-up of servicemen from the reserve whose number will not exceed 1,000 personnel.