Stunts on combat fighters. "Swifts" - about aerobatics "with loops and changes"

Who are "Swifts"

In the mid-1980s, a fighter regiment in Kubinka near Moscow began forming a group of military pilots who were fluent in aerobatics to perform demonstration flights on the MiG-29. At that time, aircraft of this type were just being mastered by the Air Force (Air Force). The official birthday of the group is May 6, 1991 - on this day the Swifts first announced their new name and performed in front of the audience on MiG-29 fighters with a characteristic livery.

MiG-29 Swift fighters during training flights at the airbase in Kubinka, 1993

Image source: © Vladimir Yatsina/TASS

The Swifts' first performance abroad took place in October 1991. Then the pilots demonstrated their skills at the Uppsala airbase in Sweden.

Since then, the pilots have been constantly improving their flight program, which they demonstrate during performances in cities throughout Russia and in many countries of the world: Swifts demonstrated the capabilities of Russian aviation in Malaysia, Belgium, Thailand, Hungary, Holland, Bulgaria, the USA, Vietnam, China, Mongolia, Germany, Kazakhstan, Czech Republic, UAE. In 1993, the aerobatic team received the title “Best Aerobatic Team in the World.”

In 2004, the Swifts and Russian Knights aerobatic teams set a world record in the history of aviation by including a joint flight of five Su-27 and four MiG-29 aircraft in a diamond formation performing a full range of aerobatic maneuvers. This nine, called the “Cuban Diamond,” annually participates in the air parade over Red Square on May 9.

Su-27 "Russian Knights" and MiG-29 "Swifts" fighters during the construction of the "Cuban Diamond"

Image source: © Marina Lystseva/TASS

The Swifts also demonstrate an updated program, which begins with single aerobatics in the afterburner mode of operation of aircraft engines and continues with group aerobatics consisting of six crews.

Future aircraft rotation

Initially, pilots flew four MiG-29s and five Su-27s, later modifications of the Su-27UB were added (a combat training aircraft with a second cockpit to instill in pilots special skills in machine control techniques).

Today, “Vityazis” and “Swifts” continue to fly at festivals, shows and air shows on these aircraft.

Several years ago it was announced that the aces would soon switch to another, more advanced type of aircraft, and the group commander then told reporters that the pilots were already beginning preparations for changing winged machines. However, what exactly these vehicles will be - the high command prefers to keep secret for now.

"With loops and changes"

Swift commander Denis Kuznetsov said that for the 30th anniversary, the pilots had prepared a surprise for spectators and colleagues. “We have prepared a group of nine aircraft. They have already performed at the Army 2020 forum, but with a shortened program. Now they will perform in an expanded format,” he noted.

Su-27 "Russian Knights" and MiG-29 "Swifts" fighters during the construction of the "Cuban Diamond"

Image source: © Marina Lystseva/TASS

His colleague, flight commander Dmitry Kosorukov, clarified that if at last year’s “Army” spectators could only see the flight of nine MiG-29s, now in this formation the pilots will perform aerobatic maneuvers. “This year we are planning to make a program with aerobatics: with loops and changes,” he said.

According to him, the pilots are planning the premiere of this nine during the joint celebration of the anniversaries of the Swifts and Russian Knights in Kubinka on May 15.

MiG-29 Swift fighters during a performance at the Army 2020 forum at the Kubinka airfield

Image source: © Sergey Savostyanov/TASS

Kosorukov said that the pilots are doing everything possible to diversify their performances. “The MiG-29 is a well-proven aircraft, but, naturally, it has certain limitations,” he explained. “Timely and high-quality maintenance of aircraft allows us to maintain equipment, as they say, in service,” Kuznetsov, in turn, clarified.

Joint flights of Swifts with Russian Knights

Quite an important stage in the career of the Swifts were and are their flights with another aerobatic team - the Russian Knights. The first flights with a joint crew were made before the beginning of the twentieth century. However, since 2002, both aerobatic teams have gained extensive experience in joint flights. And now they are simply performing with first-class programs, amazing everyone with their skills.

And today, they perform in large numbers with common programs, in which up to a dozen different aircraft simultaneously take part. And if you haven’t seen their performances yet, I definitely recommend attending their joint flight. You will definitely get a lot of good impressions.

MiG-29 and MiG-35

Back in 2022, the leadership of the Aerospace Forces (VKS) of the Russian Federation announced that the Swifts would receive new MiG-35 fighters. Flight tests of these aircraft began in January 2017, at the same time an international presentation of the aircraft took place in the Moscow region. In May 2018, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Lieutenant General Andrei Yudin, said that the group would be one of the first to receive new fighters in the army after the completion of state tests of the aircraft.

MiG-35 fighter

Image source: © Sergey Bobylev/TASS

“The MiG-35 aircraft is undergoing state tests in Akhtubinsk, it has not yet entered service. It has become heavier, with practically the same thrust-to-weight ratio parameters. He now has more combat capabilities. It’s still difficult to talk about aerobatic flights. But rest assured, we will get the most out of the plane,” he said.

Director of the MiG-29M, MiG-35 and light multifunctional front-line aircraft (LFMS) program directorate of RSK MiG (as part of the United Aircraft Corporation) Mushegh Baloyan congratulated the personnel and veterans of the air group on the anniversary and emphasized that the corporation is interested in “ Swifts" received a modern MiG-35 aviation complex.

“We approached the Russian Ministry of Defense with a proposal to equip the Strizhi air-propelled air carrier with new aircraft. The approved state weapons program provides for the supply of MiG-35 aircraft, and after a decision has been made by our main customer, we are ready to replace the fleet of MiG-29 aircraft with new MiG-35,” he explained.

It is also in the final stages of testing. “The MiG-35 is at the stage of state joint testing; a preliminary conclusion has already been received, allowing us to begin production of the pilot batch of aircraft. The flight crew likes the plane, it is easy to fly and forgiving. There are issues that arise during the operation of aircraft, and we, together with our customer (the Russian Ministry of Defense - TASS note), are promptly resolving them,” Baloyan said.

MiG-29 Swift fighter at the airbase in Kubinka

Image source: © Natalya Dmitrak/TASS

In the meantime, the Swifts have not received the MiG-35, their aircraft are maintained at a given level. “Some of the components of the MiG-29 aircraft were manufactured in the countries of the former USSR. At the current time, such spare parts have already been replaced,” he said.

Issue of stamps today

JSC "Marka" publishes postage stamps of the Russian Federation, providing them to all post offices and philatelic salons "Collector". In 1857, the Postal Department of the Russian Empire established the Stamp Expedition, which was responsible for issuing the first stamps of the Russian Empire. It is from this moment that the current joint stock company “Marka” traces its history. Today, Marka JSC, in partnership with Goznak JSC, issues an average of one hundred and fifty postage stamps with various subjects annually.

Since 2001, Marka JSC has repeatedly published truly unique postal miniatures. Among them are postage stamps with foil stamping from 22 and 24 carat gold and silver, postage stamps with hidden text, aromatic coating, imitation of various coatings, augmented reality. One of the important activities of Marka JSC is the organization of joint postal issues with different countries. Postal miniatures created by Marka JSC take prizes at world and international competitions, as well as major philatelic exhibitions and forums.

Superiority of the MiG-35

According to the commander of the Swifts, first of all, pilots expect an improved navigation system from the MiG-35. A special wish is that they create a visualization system that will make the performances even more interesting. “So that the navigation is good.

If we take it specifically for an aerobatic team, I would like to see visualization systems implemented, that is, like at the MAX air show, foreign groups fly with colored smoke. It would be more spectacular, more interesting, and we could go much further with it,” says Kuznetsov.

One of the expected updates is the pilot assistance system. Such a system is installed on the modern Su-30SM and Su-35S fighters of colleagues from the Russian Knights. “Our MiG-29s also have it, but, naturally, in more modern aircraft the system is more advanced,” the pilot noted.

Updated aircraft “competing to the Russian Knights”, but also to the “Swifts”: it became easier for them to pilot during joint performances. “At some points it became more convenient for us to fly with them,” said the Swift commander.

Su-30SM "Russian Knights" and MiG-29 "Swifts" fighters

“When they flew the Su-27 and we jointly performed the “Nesterov loop”, when passing the top point we had to turn on the afterburner, that is, add speed, because the plane turned around more easily at the top. We had to use engine thrust to try to hold on to them. When the plane goes down, they usually reduce the engine thrust, but we had to, on the contrary, add it. It's psychologically difficult. But with these aircraft we don’t add as much, and for us it’s easier,” Kuznetsov explained.

According to a representative of the MiG Corporation, the wishes of the pilots are taken into account when creating a new aircraft. The corporation is ready to equip new equipment with visualization systems if the corresponding requirement comes from the Ministry of Defense. “We are ready to install this equipment if the customer requires it,” Baloyan said.

He also emphasized that the MiG-35 received the latest navigation system. “The MiG-35 aircraft is equipped with the latest Russian-made navigation system, including modern inertial and satellite navigation systems,” said a representative of the corporation.

MiG-35 fighter

The fighter will also receive a number of other improvements. “The safety and comfort of the pilot during flight is a priority goal for the designers and engineers of the MiG Corporation,” says Baloyan. — One of the distinctive features of the MiG-35 is intuitive operation in the cockpit, which is confirmed by the pilots themselves. In a critical situation, the system can offer the optimal action, since its work is aimed at helping the pilot.”

He explained that the MiG-35 onboard equipment has a deep degree of self-control and monitors the state of the aircraft systems and flight conditions. “In case of failures or near-critical conditions, the pilot will be informed, and in some cases the automation will take control and take the aircraft out of the dangerous mode,” he said.

Baloyan emphasized that, despite the fact that the MiG-35 has become heavier than its predecessor, its aerobatic capabilities were preserved thanks to powerful engines. “When developing the MiG-35, we proceeded from the fact that aerobatics remains one of the main elements in the training of air force pilots in most countries. Yes, the MiG-35 has become heavier than the MiG-29, but the RD-33MK engines installed on the aircraft have also become more powerful. The power plant provides the aircraft with a high thrust-to-weight ratio,” explained a representative of the corporation.

MiG-35 fighter

The MiG-35 also has improved aerodynamic characteristics. “More than 20% of the airframe elements are made of composite materials. The decisions made by our designers made it possible to improve the stability and controllability of the aircraft and increase its maneuverability. The aerobatics that the MiG-35 can perform have been demonstrated more than once at air shows,” Baloyan said.

As in the new Sukhoi Design Bureau Su-30 and Su-35 aircraft, the MiG-35 received heated seats and other functions that ensure the convenience and comfort of the pilot. “When developing the MiG-35, we proceeded from this principle,” he notes. — Cockpit ergonomics, display, controls - all this was created in accordance with the wishes of the flight personnel of the Russian Aerospace Forces and the MiG Corporation.

MiG-35 fighter at MAKS in Zhukovsky, 2022

Baloyan emphasized that the MiG-35 received new combat capabilities, thanks to which this aircraft has become an effective aviation complex for gaining air supremacy.

“From the point of view of weapons and equipment, the MiG-35 surpasses its predecessor in everything. New radar and optical-location stations, a new helmet-mounted target designation system, modern missiles of the “V-V” and “V-P” class (the same as on the Su-57, with the exception of large ones), a large range of aerial bombs, as free both falling and adjustable,” he said.

According to Baloyan, the aircraft has the ability to operate on ground and surface surfaces. “The MiG-35 can use the entire range of existing aircraft weapons, including advanced models,” the corporation’s representative emphasized.

Stamps in philately

For the first time, the word “philately” (from the Greek “philio” - love and “ately” - exemption from payment) and “philatelist” were published in the French magazine “Stamp Collector” in 1864.

There are two main directions in philately: traditional (classical) and thematic. Traditional philately is the collecting and systematization of postage stamps from one or more countries, in chronological order, according to catalogs. In our country, most adherents of traditional philately collect the chronology of uncanceled stamps of Russia. Cancelled stamps are less commonly collected. The objects of thematic philately, in contrast to traditional ones, are stamps from different countries on a chosen topic: flora, fauna, art, transport, space, sports, science and technology, etc.