Russian Knights aerobatic team trains for Zhuhai Airshow

The Russian Knights aerobatic demonstration team completed its first adaptive training on Saturday for the upcoming 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai City of south China's Guangdong Province.

Also known as Airshow China or Zhuhai Airshow, the biennial aerospace trade show is scheduled for November 12 to 17.

It will be the first appearance of the Russian team at the airshow in eight years, and their first performance in China after changing into Su-35S heavy fighter jets.

Su-35S is a Flanker variant fitted with thrust-vectoring engines, which provide strong power for the pilots to conduct aerobatic maneuvers.

"Very good. We practiced the entire routine. Everything went well as planned and as how we discussed it would be like before the training," said Igor Tkachenko, a pilot of the aerobatic team.

"I feel good and I'm in a good mood. We were fully prepared today, and the weather was good, so our training went smoothly. We practiced Nesterov's loops, glides, oblique loops, and barrel turns in a six-plane formation. We also performed barrel rolls for the first time here," said Sergey Nakazny, another team member. As China's largest arms show and is recognized as one of the world's most important defense exhibitions, this year's Zhuhai Airshow has drawn 1,022 companies from 47 countries and regions, including Russia, France, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Italy.

Established in 1991, the Russian Knights aerobatic demonstration team has attended six editions of the Airshow China. It is the only aerobatic team in the world that performs with heavy fighter jets.

Russian Knights aerobatic team trains for Zhuhai Airshow

Russian Knights aerobatic team trains for Zhuhai Airshow

Russian Knights aerobatic team trains for Zhuhai Airshow

Russian Knights aerobatic team trains for Zhuhai Airshow

Li Ganjie, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), met with a visiting delegation of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia, led by Russian presidential aide Dmitry Mironov, in Beijing on Tuesday.

Li, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the CPC Central Committee's Organization Department, noted that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Russia.

China is ready to work with Russia to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, further deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields, including work on cadres, and make greater contributions to consolidating China-Russia friendship from generation to generation, Li said.

Mironov expressed a willingness to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China in various fields and continuously promote the sustained and high-level development of Russia-China relations in the new era.

After the meeting, the two sides signed a memorandum on cooperation

Senior CPC official meets Russian presidential executive office delegation