air defense system

On Wednesday, Russian Defense Ministry announced that  over 100 fighter jets, long-range bombers and combat helicopters have been scrambled at their bases across Russia and six post-Soviet states as the allies prepare to test their integrated air defense system in a massive military exercise. More than 130 command and control centers have been put on alert in Russia and six former Soviet republics-Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. All the countries contribute to the integrated air defense system overseen by the Commonwealth of Independent States. All units are being coordinated from a Russian Air Force command center located outside Moscow. The joint CIS air defense system, established in 1995, currently focuses on protecting the ex-Soviet countries’ airspace as well as providing air or missile strike early warnings and coordinated responses.