KAZAKH DEFENCE MINISTER SAID TO PRAISE CIS AIR DEFENCE EXERCISES

Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency
7 Apr 04

ALMATY

The Kazakh defence minister, Army Gen Mukhtar Altynbayev, has praised
the interaction and coordination between the forces of the CIS joint
air defence system (of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine ) on ensuring security
in the Commonwealth’s airspace which were demonstrated at a joint
exercise today.

A press release circulated by the Kazakh Defence Ministry has
said. The press release says that during the exercises the alert
forces and the means of the CIS joint air defence system have drilled
the tasks of combat alertness under the circumstances of the
aggravation of situation in the regions of the (CIS) collective
security.

The press release says that Su-27, MiG-29, MiG-31 fighter jets, Su-25
attack aircraft, Su-24 front-line bombers and other air technologies,
command centres of the air defence systems of the CIS states,
subdivisions and units of the air defence missile and radar troops,
the troops of signals and logistics took part in the exercises.

According to the press release, air patrols, detecting and
intercepting an aggressor in the air, escorting and providing aid to
aircraft that were suffering damage were carried out during the
exercises.

The distinctive feature of the exercises, the press release
emphasizes, is that the forces and the means that are on combat alert
and ensuring the security of the CIS countries’ airspace took part in
the exercises.

According to the press service, troops from the Kazakh air defence
forces, subdivisions from Karaganda, Taldykorgan, Balkhash and
Zhetygen air bases and air defence missile and radar troops took part
in the exercises.