MOSCOW, May 2. /TASS/. Tactical aircraft flew over Moscow’s Red Square in a rehearsal of Russia’s Victory Day air parade, a TASS correspondent reported from the scene.
At least two groups of aircraft, namely, a flight of Su-27 fighter jets, and also Su-25 close support aircraft flew over Moscow’s Red Square, releasing fumes in the colors of the Russian national flag.
The Victory Day Parade devoted to the 79th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s Victory in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany will traditionally take place on Moscow’s Red Square on May 9. A final rehearsal of Russia’s Victory Day Parade on Moscow’s Red Square will take place on May 5.
Traditionally, the Victory Day air parade involves operational/tactical aircraft (fighter jets, frontline bombers and attack aircraft), long-range aircraft (long-range bombers and strategic missile-carrying aircraft), military transport planes and specialized aircraft (aerial refueling tankers, long-range radar surveillance planes and airborne command posts), and also army strike, multirole and military transport helicopters. In various years, the structure and amount of aircraft in the Victory Day Parade’s airborne part slightly varied.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said earlier that this year that the Victory Day Parade on Moscow’s Red Square will involve over 9,000 troops, 75 weapons systems, and also aircraft. Overall, military parades will take place in 28 Russian cities on May 9 and involve more than 50,000 troops and about 1,000 items of armament and military hardware.