Absolutely amazing video. Filmed over Syria (hence the very real missiles under the Su-30SM’s wings), check out how a Russian Aerospace pilot comes to say a little “hello” to his friends in the cargo plane. I am awed.
Saker Message:
That is fucking badASS.
I’m amazed too, no CGI here! That SU-35 is one of the most beautiful planes in history, but the pilots…! And you will still see YT comments (from US MIC I suspect) who say that such incredible maneuvers have “no relevance to combat operations”. The cool-itude of the guys in the cargo plane, doing an equally important job, is no less awesome!
It was SU-30SM with that tiny elevators in front and two-seat cockpit.
Wow! What flying!
That is a great video.
This is reminiscent of air refueling operations that have been standard practice (in the USAF and others) for many decades. In that regard, it is one thing to maneuver a relatively small, highly responsive aircraft, like the one in this video, into such a position. And it’s quite another to do the same with a large, heavy, much more sluggish aircraft. In all cases the pilot skill is high, and so is the “pucker factor”.