Arrival of 14 combat aircraft in Crimea marked the completion of establishment of a stand-alone air force group at the peninsula, TASS reports with reference to the Commander of the 4th Command of Air Forces and Air Defense Forces, Lieutenant General, Andrey Yudin.
It was reported earlier that aviation regiment stationed at Belbek airfield located near Sevastopol took delivery of 10 Su-27SM and four Su-30M2 fighters. A source close to the armed forces noted that the regiment based at Belbek airfield would operate 24 combat and 6 combat and training aircraft.
“The group will ensure the security of Russian Federation in Southern regions. It includes different branches of aviation: fourth-generation fighters, strike-fighters, army and transport aviation,” Yudin said.
According to him, there will be no problems related to shared use of Belbek. “Earlier this airfield serviced charter flights. In cooperation with the Federal Air Transport Agency we have developed a joint air traffic control system. We will be able to handle any number of civil aircraft. The airfield’s infrastructure will allow servicing them,” the General explained. He also said that the airfield is in good condition.