Victory Parade - Moscow

The opportunity arose to visit Russia during the 2015 Victory Parade. I decided to find some travel company and spend a day in Moscow. A stop at Warsaw airport resulted in the first cathes of this trip. The parade was very impressive. At a steady pace the massive amount of 143 aircraft passed by. Among these were the mighty Russian bombers Tu-95 Bear, Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-22 Backfire.

The parade opened with the commander of the Russian Air Force flying in a Tu-160 "Blackjack". After that the first part consisted of transport and attack helicopters such as Mi-26, Mi-17, Mi-35, Mi-28 and Ka-52.

Other highlights were the Mig-31 and Su-24, like the bombers aircraft I had not seen flying before. The simulated aerial refuelling by Il-78 tankers was a welcome break between the large formations of typically 4 or 8 aircraft.

The more common aircraft Su-27 and its family members Su-30, Su-34 and Su-35, Su-25, Mig-29 also made appearances in large numbers.

During the finale a mixed formation of Russian Knights (Su-27) and Swifts (Mig-29) dispensed flares above the Red Square.