Four Russia’s Sukhoi Su-24M bombers have been redeployed to Tajikistan to take part in the CIS anti-terrorism drill, dubbed Dushanbe-Anti-Terror 2017.  

“Russia’s Sukhoi Su-24M bombers have been redeployed to Tajikistan to take part in the Dushanbe-Anti-Terror-2017 exercise,” Colonel Yaroslav Roshchupkin, an aide to the Russian Central Military District commander, was cited as saying on Wednesday by Russian news agency Tass.

"A flight of the Su-24M tactical bombers has performed a flight from the Shagol airbase in southern Urals to the Ayni airfield in the Dushanbe suburb having covered more than 3,000 kilometers.  During the Dushanbe-Anti-Terror exercise, the pilots will deliver strikes on convoys, camouflaged warehouses, training camps and other facilities of the maneuver enemy," Roshchupkin said.

The active phase of the international exercise involving military personnel, along with armored vehicles, artillery, and aviation, will begin at the training grounds of Harbmaydon and Lohour on May 30.

The main purpose of the exercise is to rehearse coordination and interaction in missions to combat terrorist groups in mountains. 

During the maneuvers, a combined force of ground forces supported by aircraft will hone their skills in combating terrorist groups, countering illegal armed units in mountainous areas along with peacekeeping operation elements.

Russia’s 201st military base in Tajikistan will be reinforced to perform these tasks.  Mobile control points, units of long-range, military transport, tactical, army and unmanned aviation, special operation forces and airborne troops will be redeployed to the area where the drills will be held.  The combined force’s actions will be ensured by military engineers, medical specialists, radiation, chemical and biological defense specialists and others

Dushanbe-Anti-Terror-2017 is the first exercise conducted by the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center with the involvement of the armed forces of the CIS member nations.  Earlier reports said that the exercises would be held in May and June in six countries (Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan), with the final stage to be held in Tajikistan.

The Sukhoi Su-24 (NATO reporting name: Fencer) is a supersonic, all-weather attack aircraft developed in the Soviet Union. The aircraft has a variable-sweep wing, twin-engines and a side-by-side seating arrangement for its two crew.  It was the first of the USSR's aircraft to carry an integrated digital navigation/attack system.  It remains in service with the Russian Air Force, Ukrainian Air Force, and various air forces to which it was exported.

Surviving Su-24M models have gone through a life-extension and updating program, with GLONASS, upgraded cockpit with multi-function displays (MFDs), HUD, digital moving-map generator, Shchel helmet-mounted sights, and provision for the latest guided weapons, including R-73 (AA-11 'Archer') air-to-air missiles.