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Summary
- Putin’s visit to the United Arab Emirates was greeted by four fighter jets and a fifth over the Iranian airspace.
- The fighter jets are armed with air-to-air missiles, following the usual Russian security rules for presidential visits.
- Despite not making frequent trips abroad for political reasons, Putin received a warm welcome in Abu Dhabi.
Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled from Moscow to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week to improve relations with some Gulf countries. Putin flew on the Russian president’s plane, an Ilyushin Il-96 that was specially escorted by four Sukhoi Su-35S fighter jets in Abu Dhabi.
The planes, all reportedly armed with air-to-air missiles, are in line with Russia’s standard security measures for presidential visits. In addition to the Su-35S jet, it is reported that a fifth fighter jet also introduced the Il-96 over Iran.
A presidential escort
As it is Interfax-RussiaPutin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, discussed details about the president’s trip, including the conditions during his departure from Moscow,
“During the flight of the presidential plane before landing in Abu Dhabi, the head of state was accompanied by four Russian Aerospace Forces Su-35S. These fighters carried conventional weapons of classes different. The Su-35S aircraft took off from an airfield in Russia in difficult weather conditions with heavy rain and strong winds. The fighters were piloted by first-class pilots. For support on the air of the presidential plane, received special permission for the aircraft from the states on the territory of which it is flown. We thank these states for their cooperation.”
Video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense shows bad weather and the plane soaring high in the sky before landing. in Abu Dhabi.
Flight TU214 and II-96 were listed as RSD707 and RSD501, respectively, on flight search websites. The planes were reported as the most watched planes on Flightradar24 on Wednesday. However, the information is no longer available.
Airline of Iran
The route of the flight crossed the planes of several countries, including over the Capsian Sea, where the pilots were required to obtain special permission for the armed forces, according to the story. The Car. The presidential plane also passed through Iranian airspace, which reportedly deployed a fifth fighter jet to help the passengers.
According to The Airplane, the “system” of the Russian aircraft was intercepted in the Iranian airspace and met by at least one F-14A Tomcat from the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF). The group of six planes were seen flying at a high altitude from the ground.
The incident is reported to be not the first time that Iran has used Persian Tomcats to intercept Russian aircraft in its airspace. The type of combat aircraft, the last F-14 used in the world, introduced Tupolev Tu-95 Bears operated by the Russian Air Force in 2015, according to Aviationist. Several turboprop bombers flew into Iranian space during missions to and from Engels-2, a military base near Saratov in Russia.
It was a rare visit
Trips outside of Russia have been rare for Putin since Russia invaded Ukraine. One of the main reasons for the lack of international travel is due to the warrants that have been filed by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the president of Russia. The UAE has signed the Rome Statute, the international agreement that supports the ICC but has yet to ratify it. Saudi Arabia, where Putin visited, has not ratified the agreement or signed it.
The President of Russia was welcomed to the UAE by a national team parade with Russian flags lining the route taken by his limo. The Russian Su-35s also delivered the Il-96 to Riyadh with Putin on board, according to Drive.
Source: Flightradar24