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Russian Su-30SM and Su-24M Jets Conduct Mid-Air Refuelling Drills - Video

© Sputnik / Mikhail Voskresensky / Go to the mediabankA Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter performs at the MAKS-2019 International Aviation and Space Show in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, Russia.
A Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter performs at the MAKS-2019 International Aviation and Space Show in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, Russia. - Sputnik International
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Russian fighter pilots regularly undergo a variety of drills to keep their skills sharp, with mid-air refuelling just one of them. The feat allows jets, stationed away from the country's borders, to strike targets at distances far exceeding their normal flight ranges.

Russian Su-24M (NATO reporting name Fencer-D) attack aircraft and Su-30SM (NATO reporting name Flanker-H) fighter jets have conducted mid-air refuelling drills in the skies above the Crimea, with the exercise captured on video and subsequently released by the Zvezda TV channel.

The footage, shot from the cabin of the 4+ generation fighter Su-30SM, shows a Su-24M approaching as close as 10 to 12 metres to the left wing of the Ilyushin Il-78 aerial refuelling tanker and connecting to the refuelling hose without a hitch. The Su-30SM fighter later repeats the trick with the same accuracy, with the whole process shown from the pilot's perspective.

A Sukhoi Su-30SM Flanker-C fighter during the Aviadarts 2018 international competition in Krasnodar Territory. Image taken through glass - Sputnik International
Watch Russian Su-30SM and Su-24M Conduct Mid-Air Refuelling

The Su-24M is a supersonic-capable attack jet designed to strike targets with high precision and conduct recognisance missions when necessary. The jet was developed in the 1970s, but is still utilised by some branches of the Russian Air Force, although its direct upgrade Su-24M2, developed in Russia in 2000, has been gradually replacing it.

The Su-30SM, in turn, was developed in the 1990s as a versatile fighter jet capable of both striking objectives on the ground and confronting enemy forces in the air.

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