Russian Northern Fleet’s fighter jets hold drills with missile launches over Barents Sea

MOSCOW, April 28. /TASS/. Deck-based fighter jets of Russia’s Northern Fleet held tactical exercises with air-to-air missile launches over the Barents Sea, Fleet spokesman Capitan First Rank Vadim Serga said on Tuesday.

"Pilots of the Northern Fleet’s shipborne fighter jet aviation regiment held flight tactical exercises with the practical launch of air-to-air missiles. The drills were held at the naval aviation’s combat training ranges over the Barents Sea. Several dozen flights by deck-based Su-33 [NATO reporting name: Flanker-D] fighters were performed," the spokesman said.

The pilots repelled an imaginary enemy’s attack on a group of combat ships and performed elements of an air fight, the spokesman said.

"For the first time in 2015, young pilots took part in the tactical drills. The pilots performed missions both solely and in pairs, wings and groups. Apart from practicing combat training assignments, they developed the skills of flying over the featureless terrain and performed the tasks of crew teamwork in ordinary and complex weather conditions, the spokesman said.