MOSCOW. April 8 (Interfax-AVN) - Low fuel limits for the Russian Air Force will not allow for increasing intensity of air defense aviation pilots in 2005, Colonel General Boris Cheltsov, Air Force chief-of-staff, said on Friday.
"Flight hours are not expected to increase in 2005, because fuel limits for Air Force combat training have been reduced," Cheltsov told Interfax-Military News Agency.
"Lack of flight hours is compensated by intensive use of simulators in flight personnel training," he said.
Average flight hours of the fighter aviation personnel amounted to 20-25 percent of the required level in 2004, the general noted. As fuel limits for combat training have been reduced, "it is hardly possible to fully maintain combat readiness on flight crews on a required level," he added.
"At the same time, I must say that air defense fighter aviation has survived and continues developing. Upgrade of available aircraft fleet and extension of its service life will be the key workstream in maintenance of combat readiness in the near future," Cheltsov noted.
Upgraded Sukhoi Su-27SM airplanes started to enter the air defense aviation inventory last year, he said.