Video provides behind the scenes look at the Russian Su-27 Flanker operations in the Baltic area

Published on: April 20, 2015 at 9:47 PM

An interesting video provides some details about Russian presence in the Baltic region.

Although rather difficult to understand (unless you speak Russian), the video in this post is quite interesting as it provides some footage of the Russian warplanes operations in Kaliningrad.

Kaliningrad Oblast, is a Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea.

Russian warplanes almost daily fly from mainland Russia to the airbases located in the 15,100 sq km (5,800 sq mi) exclave where about 1 million Russian and Russophone people live.

Several military planes, including the Su-27 Flankers involved in the recent, dangerous close encounters with U.S. and NATO planes over the Baltic Sea, are currently flying from Chernyakhovsk, a naval air base located in the central region of the exclave.

Russian warplanes usually deployed to Chkalovsk, Kaliningrad’s largest airfield, located 9 km northwest of Kaliningrad and able to accomodate bombers and interceptors. However, the base is being repaired and all the activities have moved to Chernyakhovsk were QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) is provided by  Su-27 Flankers. Single ones since, unlike NATO planes that operate in pairs during air policing missions, Russian planes are scrambled singularly.

According to a rough translation provided by some readers and Twitter followers, the service aired by Zvezda (a Russian nationwide TV network run by the Russian Ministry of Defense) explains that, while securing the western borders of the motherland, Russian pilots constantly train for air-to-air combat, flying several daily sorties.

“There are sufficient resources are on duty to defend from any intruder.”

The interviews with pilots do not unveil anything special; still, the footage is interesting as it shows the flight ops in Kaliningrad: something you don’t see too often.

H/T @oplatsen and @alcebaid for the help with the translation

 

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David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.
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