KNANKALA, May 16 (AVN) - Federal SU-24 Fencer and SU-25 Frogfoot planes were grounded in Chechnya on Tuesday, while MI-24 Hind fire support helicopters convoyed three military motorcades and inflicted two strikes on guerrilla groups in Chechen mountains, a spokesman for the unified federal headquarters told the Military News Agency.
MI-8 Hip and MI-26 Halo military transport helicopters airlifted 50 people and 4t of various cargo in the interests of the federal troops and at the requests of local administrations, the spokesman said. Two AN-26 Curl, an AN-12 Cub and an AN-72 Coaler transports took 320 servicemen and over 10t of technical cargo to Mozdok, the main federal base in the North Caucasus, and back to central Russia.
According to the spokesman, extremists are still trying to stage a series of sabotage acts at airfields or to ground a federal aircraft. That is why they are conducting full-scale intelligence and studying routes of flights, final approaches and taxiing of federal helicopters.