Dangerous movements of the Russians. Several machines have appeared at the airport
7:33 PM EDT, October 20, 2023
"Russia has secretly placed four MiG-31 aircraft and a total of 10 Su-27 and Su-30 machines on Crimea," we read on the BulgarianMilitary portal, which refers to satellite images published by user MT Anderson on platform X.
Russian MiG-31 aircraft have appeared at the international airport in Belbek, near Sevastopol. The area occupied by the Russians could soon become a base for unknown operations in the Black Sea region and in Ukraine.
The machines appeared at the air base around 9 AM on October 15th - this date is when the latest satellite images come from, published by MT Anderson on X. The machines have been deployed in the open, the Russians did not hide them in hangars, reports BulgarianMilitary. Temporary barriers have been set up around the aircraft, the role of which is to protect the planes from any damage.
In addition to the MiG-31s, there are also a total of 10 Su-27 and Su-31 specimens at Belbek Airport, which the Russians are trying to camouflage with nets and tires. Although the identification of a specific variant of the heavy MiG-31 fighters is difficult due to the quality of the materials, the appearance of these machines in this area may be connected to the Russian Federation military being ordered to constantly monitor the area over the Black Sea. Russian President Vladimir Putin made this announcement on Wednesday, October 18.
Fighters at the Belbek airport
The Russians announced that MiG-31 aircraft equipped with long-range Kh-47 Kinzhal missiles would appear over the sea. Therefore, it can be suspected that the machines have landed on the airport tarmac in a MiG-31K variant, which are adapted to carry this type of ammunition.
These structures are capable of moving at a speed of 1.7 Miles and perform tasks at an altitude of up to 82,021 feet. Simultaneously, MiG-31 can cover a one-time distance of even 1,864 miles. However, it should be emphasized that these are machines whose production was completed in the 90s of the last century, which is why today Russians - according to estimates - have about 120 exemplars of MiG-31.
The identified airplanes at the airbase include the Su-27 and Su-30. The former is a single-seat interceptor aircraft that can accelerate to a maximum speed of 1.43 Mach and operates at a maximum altitude of approximately 62,335 feet. It is capable of covering over approximately 2,175 miles, and in addition it can carry R-60/73/27 missiles.
The Su-30 (referred to as Flanker-C) is a multi-purpose combat aircraft, which was developed based on the previously mentioned Su-27. Approximately 600 units of this aircraft were produced. The maximum speed of the Su-30 is about 1.8 Mach and it has the ability to operate at an altitude of about 57543.3 feet.
