Sky Hussars

The Sky Hussars aerobatics team traces its pedigree from the 234th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment from Kubinka . Despite the fact that this regiment was a full-fledged link in the combat structure of the Air Force, group aerobatics for pilots has always been among the priority tasks. The whole regiment took part in the parades over Tushino. Pilots from Kubinka, in addition to aerobatics, fulfilled the tasks of hitting air and ground targets. A variety of delegations came to Kubinka to see the high art of aerobatics, including from military representatives of NATO countries . The load on the flight crews increased incredibly, in addition, the regiment was supposed to provide training for the flight crews of the central air force unit. The way out was found in the transition of the regiment to a four-squadron composition. On March 4, 1969, the 4th Squadron was introduced to the staff of the 234th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, which was assigned ostentatious status on June 7, 1974 . This year is considered the unofficial birth of the Heavenly Hussars aerobatic team. In fact, the 4th squadron became the first in the USSR officially recognized aerobatic team on jet fighters. Pilots of the 4th squadron flew on MiG-21 and MiG-23 aircraft . For a decade and a half, they have held over 800 shows. The wave of reorganizations in the Armed Forces at the turn of the 80s - 90s led to the fact that the regiment was transferred to a three-squadron composition. One squadron was reduced, and the 4th - aerobatic - got No. 3. The personnel of the squadron performed for changing flights on three different aircraft - Su-17 , Su-24 and Su-25 .

Every month, pilots of the squadron participated in two to three shows, but the difficulties of technical maintenance of three types of aircraft at once led the regiment's command to think that it was necessary to leave the most promising machine from the point of view of export as part of the squadron. The choice was made in favor of the Su-25 attack aircraft , which proved itself to be excellent in Afghanistan both in terms of combat qualities and survivability.

In 1996, the Su-17 and Su-24 were transferred to other units, and in the Kubink of the attack aircraft, only Su-25 attack aircraft remained. Soon, by 1991, the Swifts aerobatic teams (on the MiG-29 ) and the Russian Knights (on the Su-27 ), and then the Sky Hussars (on the Su-25 ) were formed from the first and second aviation squadrons.

The first part:

• Alexander Gornov
• Vladimir Galunenko
• Alexander Bokach
• Valery Kravtsov

The second composition:

• Alexander Smirnov
• Alexander Gornov
• Igor Tabunov
• Gennady Avramenko
• Vladimir Galunenko
• Anatoly Arestov

The ceremonial calculation of 1995:

• Valery Kravtsov
• Alexander Smirnov
• Alexander Gornov
• Sergey Dolzhnikov
• Gennady Avramenko
• Tahir Hasanov
• Yuri Zavolokin

The development of the Su-25 pilots of the 3rd aviation squadron began in April 1989 . Assessing the flight characteristics of the attack aircraft, the first commander of the squadron, Lt. Col. Alexander Gornov, noted that with some pilot training on this machine, it is possible to successfully perform a set of aerobatic maneuvers, although by definition the attack aircraft was not originally intended for maneuverable air combat.

The aircraft, which did not have boosters in the control of the course and pitch channels, was characterized by heavy control, and the R-95Sh engines were not characterized by high throttle response and “thrust”. But at the same time, in experienced hands, the attack aircraft, if it was not capable of miracles, at least pretended to be elegant. Freed from combat load, the aircraft performed the Nesterov loop and ascending barrels. Having mastered the single performance of aerobatics, the pilots began preparing the squadron for aerobatics as part of the "diamond". Nobody ever considered the Su-25 as a platform for the development of aerobatics. In its design, everything contradicted this task, since initially the tasks were completely different, far from aerial acrobatics. Many of the advantages of the Su-25 as a combat aviation complex turned into minuses for its aerobatic capabilities.

The canons of demonstration aerobatics require for greater entertainment to take off as a group, so the attack aircraft lined up so that the consoles went behind each other. Takeoff in such a formation is very difficult, especially since on the Su-25, after the front pillar was torn off, the chassis quickly took off from the ground. Pilots needed to closely monitor the neighbors, so as not to cut off either themselves or their wings. The pilots were constantly nervous about the non-ventilated brakes of the wheels - because of the fear of burning them, they had to release a brake parachute on the run. For combat pilots, this, in principle, is not important, but in demonstration flights, the release of the dome is not always appropriate. Having a small track and a chassis base, the aircraft turned out to be very sensitive to crosswinds.

From the point of view of the pilot’s labor costs for performing aerobatics, the Su-25 is inferior to the MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters . There are no warning devices on reaching critical modes, and the pilot himself must very carefully monitor compliance with the allowed flight parameters. The margin of error was very small, which greatly complicated flights in tight battle formations, since a small margin of angle of attack and low throttle response were manifested simultaneously with an almost instantaneous drop in speed during gas discharge.

At low speeds, when dropping engine speed, the aircraft did not have enough elevator to maintain operational angles of attack. As it turned out, it’s difficult to perform certain figures on the Su-25 , not only technically, but also purely psychologically. On the loop, the speed at the top point is about 300 km / h, and in this case, the car just falls onto his back. A lot of skill is required from the pilot so as not to break into an inverted corkscrew. It is very difficult to carry out a barrel and a slide with a coup as part of a group, although from the ground the aerobatics of the "Heavenly Hussars" always looked easy and beautiful. Piloting on the Su-25 required a lot of skill from the pilot.

In 1991, aerobatic teams formed on the basis of the first and second squadrons already had their own names and symbols. There were several suggested options for the name of the group. The first option was the word "Ants." The command of the squadron proposed to name the group "Flying Hussars", but the name did not take root. The name "Grizzly" was proposed, but it also did not take root due to the non-Russian sound and a direct hint of North American kinship. At the suggestion of the commander of the aviation of the Moscow Military District, Lieutenant General Antoshkin , the name "Heavenly Hussars" appeared, which suited everyone. The color of the aircraft became white-blue-red, and the bottom of the fuselage was decorated with a pattern of the clasp of a hussar’s mentic. Emblem: a circle, on a white background of which four attack aircraft are located in the form of a rhombus, just below are crossed hussar sabers, along the edges of the circle there is an inscription: Heavenly hussars, Kubinka. In their new coloring, “Hussars” first appeared before the audience on April 12, 1992 at an air show held in Kubinka as part of the international exhibition “Aircraft Engines-92”.

In September 1992, the “Sky Hussars” toured the Khabarovsk Territory . There, an air assault regiment was based at the Ozernaya Pad airdrome, in which the famous Normandy-Niemen squadron fought during World War II .

A "rhombus" on the Su-25 "Heavenly Hussars" flew at the Moscow International Air Show MAKS-93, September 12, 1993, February 23, 1994 during the celebration of Defender of the Fatherland Day in Kubinka, March 4 and 23 of the same year at shows to foreign delegations and April 12, 1994 during the almost traditional air show at the Engines-94 exhibition. The commissioning of new pilots made it possible to make aerobatic “five” and “six” on the Su-25.

May 14, 1994 at a show in Kubinka "Heavenly Hussars" flew two groups for on-board aerobatics. Then followed demonstrations in the sky of the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe . The 1994 season ended on October 17 , when a foreign delegation arrived in Kubinka.

In 1994, the squadron was preparing to perform in Europe , but the Ministry of Defense did not then have the funds to allocate a group of kerosene for the flight.

On April 19, 1995, fighter squadrons from almost all of Russia flocked to Kubinka. Even a detachment of pilots of the naval aviation regiment arrived here for training before the anniversary Victory Parade . May 9, 1995 “Heavenly Hussars” “five” passed in a common parade column over Mozhayskoye highway and, rounding the stele on Poklonnaya Hill, lay on the return route. Then they performed at the show on June 3 in Kubinka. After this, it was time for reorganization.

In 1995, it was decided to remove the Su-25 from the regiment. In 1997, the Heavenly Hussars group was disbanded, and the planes were transferred to the 368th assault air regiment (Budennovsk), in which they took an active part in the second Chechen war. What is characteristic, while they were not repainted. In 2000, new pilots came to the group, and the 3rd Squadron returned the name "Heavenly Hussars". The group begins to fly on training aircraft L-39 . In 2003, the group received MiG-29 fighters. In 2005, the Heavenly Hussars group was disbanded and a squadron was formed on its basis for training the flight personnel of the Aviation Technology Display Center.

In 2013, it was decided to revive the group, which will fly on Yak-130 aircraft.

• zolotoevremya.ru
• airbase.ru. Aerobatic Hussars aerobatic team
• Forum site support aircraft aerobatics group "Swifts". HISTORY APG "Heavenly Hussars"