Khankala, September 6 (AVN) - A pair of helicopters of the army aviation found a rebel base with two blindages, entrenchments, sentry-holes and stocks with foodstuffs and ammo 4km from the Dargo village in the south-eastern Chechen Vedeno district, a spokesman for the unified federal headquarters said.
The base was destroyed by air strikes at 16.30 Moscow time (1230 GMT) on Wednesday, the spokesman told the Military News Agency.
MI-8 Hip and MI-26 Halo transport helicopters flew 63 sorties and MI-24 Hind combat helicopters accomplished 34 missions in Chechnya on Wednesday. Hinds eliminated three small rebel groups comprising five people each in the Vedeno and Nozhai-Yurt districts. Army aircraft prevented an extremist attack on a rear column near the Engenoi village. Helicopters delivered nine landing parties and transported 674 servicemen and 19t of military cargo and foodstuffs.
The spokesman confirmed the rebel attack on a federal helicopter which delivered cargo to the Vedeno district on Tuesday. Small-arms fire damaged the helicopter's main rotor blades but the crew managed to complete the flight and land safely.
SU-24 Fencer and SU-25 Frogfoot planes flew four sorties each and destroyed a rebel base and a field camp. IL-18 Coot and AN-26 Curl planes transported 198 people and seven tons of technical cargo to Mozdok, the main federal base in the North Caucasus, and back to central Russia.