Thread by @GuyPlopsky

1/ Available footage from the recently held joint Russia-Belarus "tactical flight exercise" suggests that it did not extensively incorporate lessons from Ukraine. That said, the exercise did include several noteworthy elements in this regard. (A short 🧵with a few examples 👇).

2/ The Belarusian side trained to conduct combat search & rescue (CSAR). Retrieval of "downed" airmen was performed by Mi-8MTV-5-1s supported by Mi-24s. A 🇧🇾 military official described it as "quite a difficult element " with "conditions approximating those of actual combat."

3/ Meanwhile, The Belarusian Chief of the General Staff, Viktor Gulevich, emphasized that being able to rescue downed airmen is vital because "the preparation of any pilot is very expensive in a financial sense."

Gulevich's remark & the CSAR scenario is noteworthy because...

4/ many Russian aircrews (including experienced crews) have been downed over Ukraine. Hence, CSAR has been an important element of Russian air operations in the war. Notably, Russian attack helicopters will typically have a CSAR-tasked Mi-8 attached to them (as seen here).

5/ Another notable aspect of the exercise is the participation of a Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) A-50U airborne warning & control (AEW&C) aircraft.

The two stills below allows us to identify the participating A-50U as Bort "43" Red (RF-50608).

6/ Commander of the Belarusian Air & Air Defense Forces, Andrey Lukyanovich, emphasized that the A-50U "allowed us to significantly expand radar coverage practically across the entire depth of Belarusian territory, specifically at low- and very low-altitudes."

7/Lukyanovich's remark is noteworthy given that, In Ukraine, the Russian military continues to face low-altitude targets. Indeed, Ukrainian fixed- & rotary-wing aircraft often operate at low- & very-low levels to enhance their survivability (as seen here).

8/ Also noteworthy is the employment of the A-50U in support of suppression/destruction of enemy air defenses (SEAD/DEAD) missions during the exercise, though few details are provided.

9/ In this regard, the VKS' relatively small fleet of A-50(U)s has seen extensive use in the war against Ukraine, supporting, among other things, defensive and offensive counterair (including SEAD/DEAD) tasks/sorties conducted by Russian multirole and strike fighters.

10/As a final example, the exercises saw the participation of MiG-31K/I strike aircraft, which, together with the 9-S-7760 aero-ballistic missile, make up the Kinzhal weapon system. Kinzhal was used "for work against detected ground targets" (presumably, simulated launches only).

11/ Kinzhal is a relatively recent addition to the VKS' arsenal. It has seen limited use in the war against Ukraine, with some Kinzhal strikes likely having been conducted from Belarusian airspace.

12/12 Reportedly, Kinzhal was used to strike, inter alia, underground command posts, and munitions storage sites. Presumably, the exercise rehearsed attacks against similar "detected ground targets." No details are provided on what assets were used to detect & locate targets.

Update 1/2
In a new VoenTV segment, the commander of Belarus' 116th ShAB stated that aircrews practiced low-level loft delivery techniques.
In Ukraine, low-level loft delivery techniques are widely employed by Russian ground attack aircraft & helicopters to enhance survivability.

Update 2/2
Interestingly, however, none of the footage released from the exercise shows aircraft and/or helicopters conducting loft attacks with rockets and/or bombs.