The group of six Su-27 fighter jets debuted abroad in August 1991 in Poland, and a month later stole the show in Great Britain in tandem with the UK Red Arrows team. Interestingly, the Queen Mother wanted to attend the performance but doctors dissuaded her from doing it. So she asked Russian pilots to fly over her residence in Scotland. She observed the flight from her balcony and was fascinated by the performance.
"That was magnificent. It brings a lump to the throat and a tear to the eyes", she said. By the way, it was the Queen Mother who compared the group's flight to a knight formation thus upholding its name's English equivalent.
The aerobatics team is a constant guest at holidays and air shows. The Russian Knights often teams up with their counterparts — Strizhi that flies MiG-29 fighters. However, the both groups are expected to change their tried-and-true jets for their modern derivatives, for example the 4th++ generation Su-35 and MiG-35 aircraft respectively.
