The Russian Knights () is an

aerobatic Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...

demonstration team of the

Russian Air Force The Russian Air Force () is a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the latter being formed on 1 August 2015 with the merging of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the reb ...

. Originally formed on April 5, 1991 at the Kubinka Air Base as a team of six

Sukhoi Su-27 The Sukhoi Su-27 (; NATO reporting name: Flanker) is a Soviet Union, Soviet-origin twinjet, twin-engine supersonic Supermaneuverability, supermaneuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was intended as a direct competitor for the lar ...

s, the team was the first to perform outside the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

in September 1991 when they toured the United Kingdom. On December 12, 1995, disaster struck as three team jets flew ''in-formation'' into a mountainside near

Cam Ranh Cam Ranh () is a port-city in Southern Khánh Hòa Province, in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam. History Cam Ranh, known in the ancient Ede language as Kăm Mran, is a land closely associated with the development of the Champa cult ...

, Vietnam during approach while en route to home from a Malaysian airshow during adverse weather conditions. The team now performs with eight Su-30SM.

History

The team is based at Kubinka AFB, a major base of the Russian Air Force in the Moscow region. Formed in 1991 with 6 Su-27 fighter jets, the team now operates 16 Sukhoi jets in total - 8 Su-30SM (Flanker-H) and 8 Su-35 (Flanker-E).

Accident and incidents

On 12 December 1995, when approaching the Cam Ranh airfield (Vietnam) in adverse weather for refueling, two Su-27s and an Su-27UB of the Russian Knights team flew into a nearby mountain while in-formation, killing four pilots. The cause of the crash is attributed to a misinterpretation of approach-pattern instructions, and in particular the leading

Il-76 The Ilyushin Il-76 (; NATO reporting name: Candid) is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau as a commercial freighter in 1967, to replace the Antonov An-12. ...

that was acting as a reconnaissance aircraft. On 16 August 2009, two Su-27s rehearsing acrobatic maneuvers collided near Moscow, killing one pilot and sending the jets crashing into nearby vacation homes. The dead pilot was the Russian Knights' commander, Guards Colonel Igor Tkachenko, a decorated air force officer. On 9 June 2016, a Su-27 pilot was killed near Moscow as he failed to eject when trying to avoid homes.

References

External links

Russian Knights official website (Russian language)

Russian Knights official website (English language)

Official Telegram Channel of Russian Knights

Official VK page of Russian Knights

Russian Knights on YouTube Channel
{{Authority control Units and formations of the Russian Air Force Units and formations of the Soviet Air Forces 1991 establishments in the Soviet Union Military units and formations established in 1991 Kubinka Russian aerobatic teams Russian ceremonial units

History

Accident and incidents

See also

References

External links