Text: Northern Fleet Information Support Group
Photo: Flights of deck-based fighters at NITKA simulator. Artyom Starkov
Pilots of Northern Fleet (NF) independent deck-based fighter regiment headed by Col Evgeny Kuznetsov have completed training tasks at ground-based aircraft training system (NITKA) in Crimea and returned to their home base. First group of 7 fighters arrived to Severomorsk-3 airdrome on Sept 23.
Through the recent month NF fighter pilots have been practicing their professional skills necessary for takeoff and landing on NF aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov which deck is simulated by NITKA system. It was the first time in several years when the training program had been fully completed. During the drills each pilot spent several hours in the air and conducted up to ten takeoffs and landings on the simulator's deck. Six young pilots tried to land an aircraft on the deck for the first time.
Under command of such high-grade aviators as Heroes of the Russian Federation Gen. Maj. Igor Kozhin and Col. Igor Matkovsky, NF pilots performed flights on Su-25 attack aircrafts and Su-33 fighters. Using these aircrafts, soon they will carry out takeoffs and landings on the deck of NF aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov in the Barents Sea.
Reference
Located in Crimea, NITKA training range is designed for testing of shipborne air technical facilities and aircrafts, training of aircrews and technical staff of deck-based aviation. Additionally, it is used for deck-landing drills of helicopter crews, tests of catapults, arresters, and optical landing systems.
Currently, Russia builds similar training system in Krasnodar region; supposedly, this system will cover all needs of Russian naval aviation.