In the sky over the Kaliningrad region, the crews of the su-30SM and su-24 aircraft of the Baltic fleet began to practice refueling from the Il-78 tanker.
Air refueling is one of the most difficult types of flight training, which is allowed for pilots of the 1st and 2nd classes with a flight time of more than 400 hours. The first 8-10 connections are made with the instructor, then-3-4 independent departures.
At an altitude of 2 to 5 kilometers at a speed of 500-600 km / h, the pilot must approach the sky tanker at a distance of 10-15 meters, contact the tanker's cone sensor with the released rod and maintain a place in the formation until full refueling. At night, the operation is performed using additional lighting, which is installed on both the Il-78 and the refueling aircraft.
Air refueling is an essential element in the training of pilots of naval aviation. This skill significantly expands the range of action. In addition, the readiness to refuel in the air allows you to quickly relocate aviation units to distant airfields in a non-stop way. To ensure a flight along the route, it is enough to lift a tanker plane into the air.
More than 10 aircraft were involved in air refueling, the information support Department of the press service of the Western military district for the Baltic fleet told the Military-industrial courier. Flights take place both singly and in pairs. Such trainings are performed on a regular basis at least twice a year.
Vladislav Rzhevskiy, the correspondent of "MIC" (Kaliningrad)