A squadron of six military transport aircraft IL-76MD of the Russian Air Force arrived in Belarus to participate in joint anti-terrorist exercises Slavic Brotherhood. It is reported by TASS with reference to Lieutenant Colonel of the Russian Aerospace Forces Evgeny Salozhin.
“On June 6, a squadron of the military transport aviation regiment of the Russian Air Force, consisting of six Il-76MDs and about 70 military men, of whom more than 50 people represent the flying personnel, were redeployed from the military airfield near Taganrog to the Belarusian airfield near Baranavichy for participation in the joint exercises Slavic Brotherhood-2017,” – he said.
During the exercises, the Il-76MD crews together with the Belarusian pilots will carry out the airlift delivery of the airborne troops of Russia and the Special Operations Forces of Belarus, as well as special military cargoes onto an unknown site in the given area. “The complexity of the task is that the dropping of paratroopers and cargo will be carried out onto a small landing site in a wooded and marshy area in one of the border districts of Brest region,” – Salozhin noted.
Over 300 military of the Pskov Airborne Assault Division of the Airborne Forces of Russia, over 400 military of the 38th separate airborne assault brigade of the Special Operations Force of Belarus and 50 military of the special brigade of Serbia will take part in the joint exercises Slavic Brotherhood-2017. Military transport aircraft IL-76MD of the Russian Aerospace Forces, aircraft and helicopters of the Belarusian Air Forces will also be used in the exercises.