The rehearsal for the upcoming V-day military parade in Moscow was the first time that the general public could see Russia’s new air-launched hypersonic cruise missile. And pretty Russian girls were marching on Red Square, too.
The new missile, named Kinzhal (dagger), was first announced to the general public in March by president Vladimir Putin as one of several advanced weapon systems currently developed in Russia. A pair of Mig-31 interceptor fighter jets, each carrying a Kinzhal, flew over Moscow’s Red Square on Friday in preparation for the parade, scheduled for next Wednesday.
A prototype Su-57 jet in ‘pixel’ livery made an appearance during the rehearsal. Russia’s first fifth-generation fighter jet is slated to become the core of its air superiority fleet in the future.
Less advanced but still quite capable Su-30s and Su-35s practiced flying in formation.
Strategic aviation was represented by a Tu-160 supersonic bomber, following an Il-78 tanker in pre-refuel position.
A quartet of Mi-28N all-weather strike helicopters, nicknamed ‘Night Hunter,’ took part in the air parade rehearsal.
The ground part of the rehearsal took place on Thursday evening – timed to cause less disruption to traffic in the Russian capital. Despite the late hours there were plenty of Russians eager to watch the troops march and the tanks roll.
Among the more exciting weapon systems on show at the parade rehearsal were new Russian drones, the rotorcraft Katran and the strike drone Korsar.
Some exhibits were apparently meant to symbolize Russia’s claim to its share of the Arctic. A BTR-82A armored personnel carrier in white camouflage paint drove past the spectators while a similarly styled Kamaz truck carried a military snowmobile.
There were also Tor-M2DT medium-range air defense systems in an Arctic variant – mounted on a DT-30 all-terrain vehicles.
Other hardware included all the usual parade favorites, from T-14 Armata main battle tanks to Iskander tactical missile launchers to Yars road-mobile ICBMs. And, of course, what Russian military engineers expect will be a very promising product – the tank-support vehicle BMPT Terminator.
While vehicle crews were making sure no glitches would hamper the parade, the troops of various units were training in lock-step marches.
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