The Russian Defense Ministry published a video of sorties of the Su-27SM3 and the Su-30M2 aircraft on Monday. The planes in the video are seen conducting low-altitude flights over the woods of the Caucasus mountains.
The videos are filmed from the cockpit and show takeoff, flight and landing. The planes are said to have been flying at altitudes below 100 meters.
According to the video commentary, the pilots practiced air-to-air and air-to-ground attacks, escorts and forced landings of mock intruder aircraft.
Originally entering service in 1985, the Su-27 has undergone numerous upgrades, with the newest SM3 modification produced by the Sukhoi company in 2011. Its successor, Su-30, entered service in 1992, but the first M2 modification planes were built in 2014.
Both aircraft feature a reinforced airframe with additional hardpoints, modern radar, and updated weapon control systems and electronics.
The planes are currently in service in Russia, as well as in India, China, Vietnam and Venezuela.