Ukrainian Pilots Flying Below Treetop Altitude.
The footage below shows, from inside the cockpit, Ukrainian Air Force Su-25M1 jets during training sorties flown at ultra-low level across the country.
Based on the timestamps included in the video, the clips (filmed with GoPro cameras) were shot between May and October 2014.
We have already seen plenty of videos showing Ukrainian Su-25s performing their Close Air Support missions at very low-level (where they proved to be particularly vulnerable to MANPADS as those in the hands of pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine in July 2014) but this footage provides a pretty unique point of view during treetop navigations and live firing activity (with both bombs and rockets) at the range.
Low level flying is not “restricted” to the Frogfoot jets: here’s a Ukrainian Mig-29 overflying pro-Russia separatist blocking rails; here’s an Ilyushin Il-76 buzzing some Su-25s (and the Frogfoots returning the favor while buzzing the tower); here you can find an Mi-17 helicopter flying among the cars on a highway and another fully armed Mig-29 Fulcrum in the livery of the Ukrainian Falcons aerobatic display team flying over an apron at an airbase in Ukraine; here’s a Su-25 flying low over the heads of a group of female soldiers posing for a photograph and then performing an aileron roll; and here you can see a Su-27 performing a low pass after take off.
Top image: screenshot included in the above footage.
