The Swift

Swift

The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...

s are a Soviet and later Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n aerobatic performance demonstrator team connected with the Russian Air Force

Russian Air Force

The Russian Air Force is the air force of Russian Military. It is currently under the command of Colonel General Aleksandr Zelin. The Russian Navy has its own air arm, the Russian Naval Aviation, which is the former Soviet Aviatsiya Voyenno Morskogo Flota , or AV-MF).The Air Force was formed from...

.

In July 1983, the 234 Guards Fighter Regiment based in Kubinka air base

Kubinka (air base)

Kubinka is an air base in Moscow Oblast, Russia located 5 km northwest of Kubinka. In close proximity to Moscow, the Kubinka facility showcases the best of the Russian Air Force to the general public....

 was among the first regular aviation regiments to receive 4th generation fighters Mig-29

Mikoyan MiG-29

The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a fourth-generation jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role. Developed in the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau, it entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983, and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other...

. Regiment started tailoring a team of military pilots boasting perfect aerobatic techniques to carry out demonstration flights on Mig-29s

Mikoyan MiG-29

The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a fourth-generation jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role. Developed in the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau, it entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983, and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other...

 in the mid-1980s, when the Air Force

Soviet Air Force

The Soviet Air Force, officially known in Russian as Военно-воздушные силы or Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily and often abbreviated VVS was the official designation of one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces...

 was just embarking on mastering aircraft of this type. Military pilots, headed by "Honored Military Pilot of Russia" Lieutenant Colonel A.N. Kutuzov, were tasked with perfecting aerobatics in a formation of six aircraft sometimes spaced three metres apart.

The team is considered to have officially been established on May 6, 1991, when it carried out demonstration flights under the name of Swift

Swift

The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...

s or Strizhi for the first time. After the show, Air Marshal Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub personally decorated pilots of the aerobatic team with medals "For Strengthening Combat Commonwealth Between States"

In October 1991, the Swifts aerobatic team carried out its first demonstration flights abroad, when it paid a visit to the Swedish Uppsala airbase. The Swifts first public foreign demonstration took place in France in May 1992 during the air show, devoted to the 50th anniversary of the Normandie-Niemen

Normandie-Niemen

The Normandie-Niemen Regiment was a fighter squadron, later regiment of the French Air Force. It served on the Eastern Front of the European Theatre of World War II with the 1st Air Army...

 squadron. The aerobatic team's airmanship

Airmanship

Airmanship is skill and knowledge applied to aerial navigation, similar to seamanship in maritime navigation. Airmanship covers a broad range of desirable behaviors and abilities in an aviator...

 amazed experienced western public. The tight six-aircraft formation carried out almost every aerobatic stunt: oblique loop, loop-the-loop, barrel roll, etc. The flight formations constantly changed as well: the echelon formation transformed into the "envelope", the "cross", the "pyramid", the "wing", and the "star" formations. The demonstration flight ended with a spectacular break-up of aircraft to various directions, the so-called "tulip" break-up, followed by a volley of flares, fired by fighters.

In 1993 the Swifts took part in the LIMA'93 air show on the island of Langkawi in Malaysia, as well as air shows in Belgium and Thailand. At the Thailand air show the team's aircraft mechanics did something astonishing with regards to assembling aircraft: four Mig-29s

Mikoyan MiG-29

The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a fourth-generation jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role. Developed in the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau, it entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983, and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other...

 were dismantled and delivered to Thailand aboard an An-124 air transport, and Russian aircraft technicians and mechanics managed to get them operational within only three days. In 1995 the Swifts visited Sweden once again, and in 1997 the team paid a visit to Finland.

The Swifts aerobatic team has conducted 50 demonstration flights on an annual basis since 1991. Its pilots have visited in excess of 28 foreign states. The team traditionally participates in Tushino air parades and Zhukovsky air shows. The team's pilots have repeatedly carried out demonstration flights during numerous celebrations, devoted to anniversaries of various cities, including the 850th anniversary of Moscow.

In 1993 the Swifts aerobatic team merited the title of the World's Best Aerobatic Team, while in 1997 Nikolay Dyatel won the first prize in solo flying at the international air show in Finland.

Team today since 2008

Note: according to the Russian conventions surnames are listed first, followed by a given name, and a father's name.

Selutin Viktor Markovich: Guards colonel, “Strizhi” aerobatic team commander. Tail wingman, team leader.

Morozov Valeriy Anatolyevich: Guards lieutenant colonel, “Strizhi” aerobatic team master pilot. Team leader.

Sokolov Igor Evgenevich: Guards lieutenant colonel, aerobatic team deputy commander. Left wingman.

Osyaikin Sergey Ivanovich: Guards lieutenant colonel, “Strizhi” aerobatic team master pilot. Right wingman.

Koposov Dmitriy Alexandrovich: Guards lieutenant colonel, aerbatic team deputy commander. Right wingman, single aerobatic, extreme flying.

Prohorov Aleksey Vladimirovich: Guards lieutenant colonel, “Strizhi” aerobatic team master pilot, left wingman.

Vasiliev Sergey Alekseevich: Guards lieutenant colonel, “Strizhi” aerobatic team master pilot.

Kuznetsov Denis: Captain, “Strizhi” aerobatic team pilot.

External links

• Strizhi.Ru Official Strizhi support team website (Russian language)
• Strizhi.Info Official Strizhi support team website (English language)