MOSCOW. Jan 31 (Interfax-AVN) - Officials of CIS defense ministries will participate in the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the CIS Unified Air Defense System, to be held in Moscow on February 10, Lieutenant General Aytech Bizhev, Russian Air Force Deputy Commander-in-Chief for the system, told Interfax-Military News Agency on Monday.
"On February 10, Moscow will host celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the CIS Unified Defense System. Senior military officials from CIS member-states, invited to the celebration, are to visit the Air Defense Army command post, equipped with the cutting-edge automated control system," Bizhev said.
According to him, on February 10 senior military officials from CIS member-states will be able to observe a joint exercise, involving Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarussian air forces and air defense forces.
"Senior military officials from CIS member-states will also visit the command post of the Special Purpose Command in Moscow to familiarize themselves with the air traffic control system," Bizhev said.
According to him, the major task facing the Unified Air Defense System still consists in air environment data exchange between command and control bodies of CIS member-states.
"At the present time, data is exchanged among the Russian Air Force Central Command Post, the Belarussian Air Defense Forces Central Command Post, the Kazakh Air Defense Forces Central Command Post, the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces Command Post, and the Uzbek Air Force and Air Defense Forces Command Post," he said.
Air Force and Air Defense Forces command posts of other member-states exchange data in a non-automated mode.
The CIS Unified Air Defense System was established on February 10, 1995, when heads of Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine signed a corresponding agreement. The system comprises several dozen air defense units, armed with Osa, Buk, S-75, S-125, S-200, and S-300 air defense systems. In addition to that, the system includes fighter units, equipped with MIG-23 Flogger, MIG-29 Fulcrum, MIG-31 Foxhound, and SU-27 Flanker fighters, as well as electronic warfare units.