PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY. Aug 19 (Interfax) - The crews of the high-altitude MiG-31BM fighter aircraft of the Russian Pacific Fleet's air force wing based in Kamchatka have trained the interception of a mock violator of Russian airspace in the stratosphere, the Pacific Fleet's press service said in a statement on Monday.
"It was for the first time that new upgraded MiG-31BM high-altitude fighter jets took part in air combat on a practical level," it said.
One of the MiG-35BM jets acted as a border violator whose task was to enter Russian airspace at maximum speed, flying through the lower layers of stratosphere, crossing the designated borderline and escaping possible pursuit.
Another MiG-31BM, one of the forces on watch, was scrambled to intercept the target. The flight was performed at 2,500 kilometer per hours at an altitude of 20,000 meters. In order to make the task more difficult, the crew of the MiG-31BM was to locate the enemy on their own, without any support from ground-based air defense forces.
After the target was captured, the pilots performed simulated launches, firing air-to-air long-range missiles. In total, the MiG-31BM crews carried out six flight missions to the stratosphere in one flight shift.
"The training was one of the stages in which fighter pilots are learning to operate new upgraded aviation equipment and improving skills necessary for combat duty with regard to air defense," the Pacific Fleet said.