"Echelon-2023": military pilots have practiced landing on a motorway

A set of measures to ensure the survivability of the aviation of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces was practiced today in the Republic of Belarus as part of the special training "Echelon-2023" with the forces and means of logistic support of the CSTO Troops (Collective Forces), which is being held as part of the joint operational-strategic training "Combat Brotherhood-2023".

According to the training plan, it was decided to disperse some of the forces and means of the aviation military units in order to withdraw from under attack by the conditional enemy and preserve the survivability of the aviation units. The key point was the use of a section of motorway as a runway.

In order to ensure aircraft landings, security units carried out tasks to cover the airfield road section from the actions of illegal armed groups and sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the conditional enemy. Security was organised on the far and near approaches.

Under the cover of two Su-30SM fighter jets, a pair of Mi-24 helicopters and ground forces, the first to land on the motorway was an AN-26 transport aircraft, which delivered aircraft ammunition.

Following this, two Su-25 attack aircraft and two Yak-130 combat trainers landed on the aerodrome section of the road. For the first time in the Republic of Belarus, a two-seat Su-30SM fighter jet landed on a motorway section of the road.

On the motorway, the planes were refueled, prepared for new flights. Having taken off, they headed off to hit targets at a nearby firing range.

Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin, Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus, has congratulated the military pilots on successful training and combat missions. Speaking to journalists, he said: "These trainings are planned, open, and are held annually in one of the countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The main purpose of the trainings is to find ways and means of countering challenges and threats that may arise with regard to the CSTO countries. The rotational system of the trainings allows troops to train on different terrain - mountainous, desert, steppe or forested and swampy, as we have in the Republic of Belarus. This is not the first time we have conducted this training in our country. According to the feedback from the participants themselves and the international observers whom we invite, they always give us high marks. And today's trainings are strictly in line with the plan and without any deviations”.

In the territory of the Republic of Belarus, as part of the CSTO joint operational-strategic training "Combat Brotherhood-2023", under the leadership of Major-General Andrei Matiyevich, a joint training with the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces "Interaction-2023", a special training with intelligence forces and means "Search-2023", a special training with logistical forces and means "Echelon-2023", and a special training with the joint formation of the CSTO NBC protection and medical support "Barrier-2023" are being conducted.

They involve mobile formations and military units of permanent readiness of the armed forces of the CSTO member states equipped with modern and compatible armaments, special forces formations from among the special units of the internal affairs (police), security, State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus and special services, as well as the authorized bodies responsible for preventing and dealing with the consequences of emergency situations, and operational teams of the CSTO Joint Staff and the CSTO Secretariat In all, more than 2,500 servicemen and more than 500 units of weapons, military and special equipment were involved.