Over 110 Aircraft To Take Part In CIS Command-And-Staff Drill

[Purveyor]

MOSCOW, April 21 (RIA Novosti) - More than 110 military aircraft from eight CIS states will take part in a large-scale command-and-staff exercise on April 22 led by the Joint Air Defense Force, a senior Russian military official said Monday.

"Over 20 scenarios will be rehearsed, designed at strengthening the air space of CIS countries - Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan," said Lt.Gen. Vadim Volkovitsky, deputy commander of the Russian Air Force.

He said command of the drill will be provided by Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin, Russian Air Force chief, from the Central Command and Control Post.

More than 10 missile, air defense, anti-aircraft, and electronic warfare units will rehearse missions to protect the air space around Moscow and the Central Federal District.

MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-27 Flanker fighters will practice interception missions.

---EOE---

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080421/105544646.html

[bbinacan]

1. Is this unusual? n/t

[windbreeze]

2. I'd say they are making a point..

didn't they just tell us not to mess with Iran??? wb

[bbinacan]

3. But it's a drill

to protect Moscow airspace. What does that have to do with Iran?

[Zywiec]

4. There hasn't been an imminent Iran attack thread

in at least 12 hours. This way we can at least keep it in the last 200 threads of GD.

[windbreeze]

5. A drill showing off military abilities, correct?

Yes, one thing may have naught to do with the other, that's true..then again...you just never know...considering on that very same page is an article about Iran showing off it's military strength....just sounded like someone was busy making a point to me...but then, I most likely am wrong...wb..