Russian TV channel Zvezda has shown rare footage of Russian Su-35S and Su-30SM jets shot from the pilot's perspective refuelling mid-air. The camera installed in the cockpit, shot the full process of aerial refuelling – the take-off, approach to the Il-78 fuel tanker, connection of the probe to the fuel hose with a drogue and the landing. The whole process happened at an altitude of 5-6 kilometres and at a speed of around 600 kilometres per hour.
Such mid-air refuelling allows jets and strategic bombers to conduct sorties well beyond their regular operation ranges. This way, aircraft, stationed on air bases located far away from the front lines, can still land strikes on enemy territory.