KALININGRAD, January 31. /TASS/. Pilots of the Baltic Fleet’s naval aviation have started practical fights to learn to operate advanced Sukhoi Su-30SM (NATO reporting name: Flanker-C) multipurpose fighter jets that entered service last December, Fleet spokesman Roman Martov said on Tuesday.

"The first crews in the airbase of the fleet’s naval aviation in the town of Chernyakhovsk of the Kaliningrad Region have started practical flights to operate the newest Su-30SM multipurpose fighter plane," the spokesman said.

The pilots who have been admitted to operating the new type of aircraft have undergone training at the Lipetsk Flight Personnel Retraining Center. After theoretical lessons, they underwent a specialized course using ground simulators.

"The flights are being performed under the guidance of experienced instructor pilots who have specially arrived in the Kaliningrad Region from the Irkutsk Aircraft-Building Enterprise, the fighter jet’s manufacturer, to prepare fleet crews," the spokesman said.

The Baltic Fleet’s naval aviation will receive another several fighter jets of this type this year, the Fleet spokesman said.

The Su-30SM fighter is the latest modification of the Russian-made generation 4+ multipurpose heavy fighter jet Su-30. The new plane is supermaneuverable and features a radar with a phased antenna array, engines with a controlled thrust vector and canard surfaces.

The Su-30SM is capable of using modern and perspective air-to-air and air-to-surface precision guided weapons. As its advantage, the advanced fighter jet can cover a distance of up to 3,000 kilometers without mid-air refueling and external tanks.