Pilots of the Pacific Fleet’s Kamchatka Naval Air Force Base took part in the air defence drills to repel air attacks by a simulated enemy in the Arctic zone.

Anti-submarine Il-38N aircraft acted as the simulated enemy’s bombers with the main task to fly to the Chukchi Sea area and simulate bombardment of the Chukotka Autonomous District objects from the north.

To localise the air attack threat, a pair of high-altitude MiG-31 fighter interceptors scrambled from the Kamchatka airfield. They were to destroy the mock enemy’s aircraft at the assigned point before they carried out the bombing.

In accomplishing this task, Kamchatka fighter interceptors for the first time carried out a non-stop 4,000-km flight to the Arctic area with two in-flight refuelling from the Il-78 airplane tankers.

In the Arctic area, the Pacific Fleet fighter interceptors successfully detected and identified targets and conducted electronic launches of long-range air-to-air missiles. All targets were successfully destroyed at the maximal distance of missile launch.