Russian Air Force teams have passed preliminary shooting tests and are ready to represent the country at the international portion of the Aviadarts-2014 air force competition, a spokesman for the Western Military District said Monday.
“During the preparations for the international competition the Western Military District teams tested out the use of missiles, bombs and other ammunition at shooting ranges, earning 4.8 points,” Col. Oleg Kochetkov said.
The competition is also to host international participants. Russian teams are to be joined by four air force teams from Belarus and China in the cities of Voronezh, Lipetsk and at the Pogonovo testing range. The international portion of the competition is to take place July 22-28.
The Western Military District will be represented at the final stage of Aviadarts-2014 teams flying a Su-34 fighter-bomber, a MiG-29SMT fighter jet, a Su-24M front-line bomber and Mi-8MTV-5 modernized transport technical helicopters.
Aviadarts is a contest aimed at displaying precision-firing skills for unguided air-to-surface missiles and shooting ground targets with aircraft guns. The domestic portion of the contest started on May 21, at the Air Force Academy base in Voronezh and finished on May 26, at the Pogonovo air range in Lipetsk.
Back in May, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry urged Russia to cancel the event, saying it would escalate tensions, as Voronezh borders Ukraine. In spite of the complaint, the domestic portion finished without complications.
