Russia’s only military flight-test establishment celebrated 100 years of existence in October 2020. Alexander Mladenov delves into its organization and activities
Russia’s sole military state flight-test center is the MoD’s 929th GLITs based at Akhtubinsk, southeast of Moscow in the Astrakhan region. Named after Soviet Union hero, Valery P Chkalov, the unit is tasked with conducting the complete cycle of research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) for all types of military aircraft. That includes unmanned air systems and weapons to certify them ready for service.
A pair of Su-35S in testing at the 929th GLITs, toting full weapons loads
Russian MoD
The scope of work includes airborne systems, all categories of mission kits and airborne equipment for manned and unmanned platforms, together with the entire range of ground-based support and mission equipment/systems.
