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Russian Knights

Russian Air Force aerobatics team

Field	Value
unit_name	Russian Knights
image	File:Russian knights.svg
image_size	230px
caption	Russian Knights insignia
dates	5 April 1991 – present
country	RUS Russia
branch	Russian Air Force
garrison	Kubinka (air base)
Moscow Oblast, Russia
colors	Red, White and Blue
aircraft_fighter	*8 Su-30SM
*8 Su-35S<ref name	"Su-35"

Note

the aerobatic team

Moscow Oblast, Russia

8 Su-35S

The Russian Knights () is an aerobatic demonstration team of the Russian Air Force. Originally formed on April 5, 1991 at the Kubinka Air Base as a team of six Sukhoi Su-27s, the team was the first to perform outside the Soviet Union in September 1991.

The team has performed with eight Su-30SM fighters since October 2016, and added eight Su-35S in November 2019, bringing its total aircraft to sixteen.

History

Russian Knights Su-27 fighters over the Kecskemet airshow in Hungary, 2013

The team is based at Kubinka AFB, a major base of the Russian Air Force in the Moscow region.

Formed in 1991 with 6 Su-27 fighter jets, the team now operates 16 Sukhoi jets in total - 8 Su-30SM (Flanker-H) and 8 Su-35 (Flanker-E).

Accident and incidents

On 12 December 1995, when approaching the Cam Ranh airfield (Vietnam) in adverse weather for refueling, two Su-27s and an Su-27UB of the Russian Knights team flew into a nearby mountain while in-formation, killing four pilots. The cause of the crash is attributed to a misinterpretation of approach-pattern instructions, and in particular the leading Il-76 that was acting as a reconnaissance aircraft.

On 16 August 2009, two Su-27s rehearsing acrobatic maneuvers collided near Moscow, killing one pilot and sending the jets crashing into nearby vacation homes. The dead pilot was the Russian Knights' commander, Guards Colonel Igor Tkachenko, a decorated air force officer.

On 9 June 2016, a Su-27 pilot was killed near Moscow as he failed to eject when trying to avoid homes.

References

(10 November 2019). "Группа "Русские Витязи" получила четыре истребителя Су-35С".
(30 November 2016). ""Русские Витязи" полностью укомплектовали группу новыми самолетами Су-30СМ".
Sidorov, Pavel. "Катастрофа "Русских Витязей"".
Pronina, Lyuba. (14 August 2001). "Knights and Swifts Aim to Conquer New Heights". [[The Nation (Thailand).
(17 August 2009). "Pilot dies as Russia jets collide". BBC News.
"Russian Su-27 pilot killed after aerobatic team crashes".

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

units-and-formations-of-the-russian-air-force units-and-formations-of-the-soviet-air-forces 1991-establishments-in-the-soviet-union military-units-and-formations-established-in-1991 kubinka russian-aerobatic-teams russian-ceremonial-units

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