The Russian Knights at Kubinka Air Base in Moscow, Russia
Saturday, July 28th, 2007The Russian Knights at Kubinka Air Base in Moscow, Russia.
The Russian Knights (Russian: Русские Витязи) are an aerobatic demonstration team of the Russian Air Force. Originally formed on April 5, 1991 at the Kubinka Air Base as a team of six Sukhoi Su-27s, the team was the first to perform outside the Soviet Union in September 1991 when they toured the United Kingdom. On December 12, 1995, disaster struck as three team members flew into a mountainside while practicing formation flying in adverse weather. Despite this unprecedented tragedy, the team bounced back and now performs with four Su-27P’s and 2 Su-27UB’s and in 2005, the Russian Knights acquired five Su-35 Super Flankers, but due to financial problems, these are not used in the displays.
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