Combat aircraft

‘

Combat Aircraft had

exclusive access to

the recent air-to-air

refueling training

conducted by the

Russian Navy.

REPORT AND PHOTOS

Dmitriy Pichugin

F

LANKERS’ FROM THE Russian

Navy Black Sea Fleet’s 43rd

Naval Attack Aviation Regiment

at Saki, Crimea, and from the

Baltic Fleet’s 72nd Aviation

Base at Chernyakhovsk

deployed to Yeysk in Krasnodar Krai

during mid-February to conduct air-

to-air refueling training. It marked the

 rst time that the Russian Navy’s new

Su-30SMs have conducted in- ight

refueling in squadron service, on this

occasion doing so alongside their Baltic

Fleet Su-24M ‘Fencer’ colleagues, also

from Chernyakhovsk.

The tanking was a scheduled phase of

training, an Il-78M having deployed to

Yeysk from its home base at Ryazan to

support the  ights. The tanker hook-ups

were  own at approximately 20,000ft

and 300kt.

In addition to the tanker work, the

deployment was seen as an ideal

AND

Below: A Baltic

Fleet Su-30SM

in pre-contact

position on the

Il-78M.

Right top to

bottom:

A fabulous

head-on view

of a Su-30SM,

refueling probe

extended.

The extensive

framework

above the front-

seater’s head

accommodates

the hood for

instrument

training.

The air base at

Yeysk, used as

the hub for the

recent training.

62 May 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net

62-64 Yeysk C.indd 62 21/03/2018 10:55