Russia adds to arctic military presence
Russia added a new fleet of Su-33 fighter jets Monday to its growing military contingent in the Arctic, a Russian naval spokesman said. The Kremlin has spent the last several months bolstering its presence in the resource-rich polar region, despite repeated NATO criticism.
The unspecified number of Su-33 navy flankers will function as air defense units for the military in the Arctic, Russian agency Sputnik International News reported. The aircraft were previously used to defend the Northern Fleet ships on long excursions.
“Pilots of the shipborne fighter aviation regiment of the Northern Fleet have begun service guarding the air borders of the Kola Arctic region using the deck-based Su-33 fighter jet – the naval equivalent of the multi-role Su-27 fighter jet,” a spokesman for Russia’s Northern Fleet said in a statement. The Su-33 can operate from aircraft carriers and was designed as an air-to-air fighter.
