DUSHANBE, October 2, 2012, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan will participate in a joint air defense drill, dubbed Chistoye Nebo (Clear Sky).
An official source at the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan (MoD), says the Chistoye Nebo 2012 exercise will be conducted in Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Tajik airspace from October 5 to October 16 and involve the interception of cruise missiles.
The operational group of the Ministry of Defense, led by Colonel Saidahmad Umarov, the deputy commander of Air and Air Defense Forces, will represent Tajikistan in the drill, the source said.
According to him, the main purpose of the exercise is to rehearse interaction between air defense forces of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia within the CIS unified air defense system.
Meanwhile, Russian media sources reported in late September that Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan will conduct a joint command-and-staff air defense drill on October 5-16. Russia will be represented by a group of experts from Air Force staff and MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors and an A-50 Mainstay AWACS plane deployed at the Kant airbase in Kyrgyzstan.
Kazakhstan’s three airbases will host the active phase of the drills. It will also deploy five air defense brigades and command staff.
In line with the concept of the exercises, Kyrgyzstan will play the role of a ‘designated adversary’ with its L-39 Albatros combat trainers and Su-25 Frogfoot ground attack aircraft.
Tajikistan will be represented by Air Force command staff.
The exercises are reportedly part of military cooperation among member nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and emphasize the air defense of the bloc from the southern direction.
