MOSCOW, Russia (TASS) – Fighter, assault and army aircraft of the Southern Military District and of Armenia’s Armed Forces have taken part in joint drills for the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces (CRRF) dubbed “Interaction – 2017,” the Southern Military District’s press service reported on Tuesday.
“During the joint drills… at the Bagramyan Range of the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia and the Alagyaz Range of Military Base 102 of the Russian Armed Forces joint drills of the army, fighter and assault aircraft of Russia’s Erebuni air military base and the Armenian air forces have been carried out,” head of the Southern Military District’s press service colonel Vadim Astafyev said.
He specified that more than 25 planes and helicopters, including MiG-29 fighters, Su-25 assault aircraft, Mi-24P attack helicopters and Mi-8MT transport helicopters took part in the drills. During the drills, MiG-29 fighters worked out covering ground units in mountainous areas and carried out training air combat. Crews of assault and army aircraft that took part in the exercise conducted “strikes” over surface targets and covered CRRF units of CSTO member states.
The CSTO CRRF drills kicked off on October 9 at the Bagramyan and Alagyaz Ranges in Armenia. The maneuvers are being carried out within CSTO strategic drills “Battle brotherhood – 2017” and will run until October 13.
The “Cooperation 2017” drills are part of the Combat Brotherhood 2017 CSTO strategic exercise held between October 3 and November 20.
The opening ceremony was attended by CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov, the Chief of Staff of Armenia’s Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Movses Hakobyan, Russian Southern Military District Commander, Colonel General Alexander Dvornikov, high-ranking military officials from participating states.
The exercises involve more than 2,500 personnel, 500 units of military equipment, including 25 aircrafts and flying vehicles.
