MOSCOW Feb 16 (Interfax) - Fighter jets from the Russian Western Military District's aviation regiment practiced forcing a simulated airspace intruder to land during an exercise in the Leningrad region, the military district's press service said.
"Acting in limited visibility, MiG-31 high-altitude fighter interceptors performed flights including aerobatic elements at an altitude of around 400 meters. After that, flying at an altitude of some 14,000 meters, the planes used their Zaslon-M onboard radar stations to create radar coverage in order to monitor the airspace," the press service said on Monday.
As they monitored the airspace, the planes spotted a target moving at a speed of some 2,000 kilometers per hour. The target was imitated by another MiG-31. The combat aircraft approached the simulated intruder and forced it to land.
The training was conducted at nighttime, thus significantly complicating the mission, the press service said. The planes landed relying on instruments, the press service said.
The exercise involved four MiG-31 planes, which flew at all altitudes, and some 50 personnel from the mission control team, pilots and technicians of the Western Military District's fighter aviation regiment, the press service said.