Union Shield 2019 joint exercise of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus involves 20 aircraft and helicopters from 5 airfields of the Leningrad Air Force and Air Defence Army of the Western Military District.

The relocation of the army and operational-tactical aviation of the formation will be carried out from airfields in the Voronezh, Kursk, Smolensk, Pskov and Leningrad regions.

From airfields of the Nizhny Novgorod and Voronezh regions, aircraft and helicopters will fly to training grounds for combat training tasks. During the exercise, the crews will train elements of air combat, such as delivering missile bomb assault attacks on objects that simulate the command posts of the mock enemy and manpower, landing military equipment, landing tactical assault forces and covering their operations from the air using unguided missiles, air-to-surface missiles, guided missiles R-73, aircraft guns and bombs.

The actions of motorized rifle units to destroy the main forces of illegal armed groups will be supported from the air by the crews of the Mi-8 helicopters, Ka-52 Alligator reconnaissance and attack helicopters, Su-30Sm fighters, Su-34 supersonic multi-functional fighter-bombers, etc.