Russia has added a new aerobatic layer to its yearly military aviation competition, and just like it’s shirtless, horse-riding leader, it’s just as outrageously over the top as you’d expect.
Aviadarts is taking place near the Russian city of Voronezh, and this leg of the newly expanded international competition saw Russian aerobatic units showing off their formation and ground attack skills displayed in spectacular fashion.
Although we’ve seen Russia’s multitude of aerial display teams before – including the Swifts, Russian Knights, Falcons and Golden Eagles – the helicopter formation work during this display stood out as uniquely awesome.
The larger international portion of Aviadarts kicks off in August and is reported to include Russia, Armenia, India, Pakistan, Egypt, China, Belarus and Kazakhstan participants. Bahrain and Brazil, both of which have close ties with the U.S., will be there, but only attending as formal observers. You can get a taste of what this large-scale air combat contest looks like here.
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