OREANDA-NEWS. July 14, 2011. By virtue of the Chairman of RF Government Instructions there will be held respective preparations of MI-8 and MI-26 aircrews to extinguish forest fires in the Center for combat application and retraining of the flight crews (aviation personnel of the Army aviation) in Torzhok town.

More than 20 flight crews will obtain theoretical and practical skills on fire extinguishing, using aviation discharge units (VAP-2) and water drain units (VSU-15). These units permit to transport fluids on the helicopter outer sling to discharge them onto the fire sites and to drain them into re-spective storage containers, located on the ground.

Instruction flight crews from North-Western, North-Caucasian, Siberian and Far East Air Force and Anti-Aircraft Defense units, as well as from the Principal Flight Testing Center after V.P. CHKALOV were drawn to participate in said preparations. Deputy Head of this Center, coronel IGOR BUTENKO performs general administration of respective training studies. Such preparations jointly with the Army aviation Air Force crews are held for the first time.