Sky Hussars

Sky Hussars

Небесные гусары · Nebesnye Gusary

Kubinka’s Su-25 team, one of very few to fly formation aerobatics in a ground-attack aircraft, later revived on L-39s and MiG-29s before its final disbandment in 2005.

1991Založeno
MiG-29Letadlo
6In the display
Disbanded 2005Postavení
OperátorRussian Aerospace ForcesZeměRuskoTypFormation aerobatic teamHome baseKubinka Air BasePostaveníDisbanded 2005
Příběh

Sky Hussars: how the team came to be and what it flies today

Aerobatics in an attack jet

The Sky Hussars came from the display tradition of the 234th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment at Kubinka, whose 4th squadron was given demonstration status on 7 June 1974 and flew MiG-21s and MiG-23s. After reorganisation that squadron became the 3rd, and in April 1989 its pilots began working up aerobatics on the Suchoj Su-25, an aircraft never designed for it: heavy controls, slow-spooling engines and little margin at low speed made formation loops and rolls demanding. In 1991 the team took the name proposed by Lieutenant General Antoshkin, with white, blue and red aircraft and a hussar-jacket motif on the belly. It first appeared in this guise at Kubinka on 12 April 1992.

Disbanded, revived, disbanded

The diamond of Su-25s flew at MAKS-93 on 12 September 1993 and at a series of shows at Kubinka; a display in Dushanbe followed in 1994, and five aircraft took part in the Victory Day flypast over Moscow on 9 May 1995. The decision to remove the Su-25 from the regiment led to the team being disbanded in 1997, its aircraft passing to the 368th Assault Aviation Regiment at Budyonnovsk. The name returned in 2000 when new pilots formed a team on the L-39 Albatros, adding MiG-29s in 2003, but in 2005 the group was disbanded again and replaced by a training squadron of the Kubinka display centre.

The diamond of Su-25s flew at MAKS-93 on 12 September 1993 and at a series of shows at Kubinka; a display in Dushanbe followed in 1994, and five aircraft took part in the Victory Day flypast over Moscow on 9 May 1995.Sky Hussars · verified 2026-10-02

Na první pohled

Sky Hussars in numbers

The team

Formation
Up to 6 aircraft

  • Su-25 diamond, later five- and six-ships
  • Six Su-25 from 1991, four in 1995, two in 1997

Letadlo

Flown
Suchoj Su-25

  • Sukhoi Su-25 (1991–1997)
  • Aero L-39 Albatros (2000–2005)
  • Mikoyan MiG-29 (2003–2005)

Domov

Based at
Kubinka Air Base

  • 237th Display Centre, Moscow Oblast

The display

Aircraft in the display
6
Livery
white, blue and red, with a hussar-jacket fastening motif on the underside

Letadlo

Every type Sky Hussars has flown

Letadlo Roky Number Poznámka
Suchoj Su-25 1991–1997 6 Six from 1991, four in 1995, two in 1997; pilots began Su-25 aerobatic training in April 1989.
Aero L-39 Albatros 2000–2005 Used after the team name was revived in 2000.
Mikojan MiG-29 2003–2005 Added in 2003.

Časová osa

Sky Hussars, year by year

1974

4th squadron of the 234th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment granted demonstration status, regarded as the team’s unofficial origin.

1989

Squadron pilots begin aerobatic training on the Su-25.

1991

Team named Sky Hussars and given its tricolour livery.

1992

First appearance in team colours at the Aviadvigateli-92 show, Kubinka.

1993

Su-25 diamond displays at MAKS-93.

1995

Five Su-25s fly in the Victory Day parade over Moscow.

1997

Team disbanded; Su-25s transferred to the 368th Assault Aviation Regiment.

2000

Name revived on the L-39; MiG-29s added in 2003; disbanded again in 2005.


Otázky a odpovědi

Everything people ask about Sky Hussars

What aircraft did the Sky Hussars fly?
Sukhoi Su-25 ground-attack aircraft from 1991 to 1997, then L-39 Albatros trainers from 2000 and MiG-29s from 2003.
Where were the Sky Hussars based?
At Kubinka, near Moscow, with the air force display centre.
When were the Sky Hussars disbanded?
First in 1997, when the Su-25 left Kubinka, and finally in 2005.
Why was the Su-25 unusual for aerobatics?
It is a ground-attack aircraft with heavy controls and slow-responding engines, so close-formation aerobatics left the pilots very little margin.