Release date: November 2021
Photo by: Russia
Weapon richness: ★★★ ☆☆
Equipment emulation: ★★★ ☆☆
Tactical rationality: ★★★ ☆☆
Degree of historical restoration: ★★★ ☆☆
Audiovisual enjoyment: ★★★ ☆☆
Entertainment appreciation: ★★★ ☆☆
Featuring the pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Soshnikov and navigator Captain Muravyov, the film tells the story of the Russian Air Force fighting in Syria. The storyline has a certain historical basis, the Russian army's active Su-24 fighter-bomber, Mi-17 helicopter to participate in the performance, the ornamental and other aspects are also good. Overall, the film can be seen as a propaganda film for the Russian Air Force.
The following is a brief chat about the plot of the film, as well as the weapons and equipment that appear in the film.
Synopsis
The film begins with subtitles to explain the background of the story: "On November 24, 2015, Russia was attacked despite the relevant agreement. "The agreement here refers to the agreement between Russia and Turkey regarding the two sides' combat operations in Syria. On the surface, Russia, Turkey and the United States are all fighting extremist organizations in Syria, but in Russia's view, the United States is the black hand behind the extremist organizations, and Turkey is the American pawn who is looking for trouble for itself.
The story begins with a pilot survival training session.
Soshnikov and Muravyov evaded the "enemy"'s search, and in addition to simulating mines, sniper rifles also fired live ammunition to "hunt them down". The two pilots behaved very differently after being captured: one did not care, and the other sacrificed the "glory bomb". Or the old bird is powerful.
Russian Special Forces Major Zakharov cooperated with their training, but the pilots apparently did not pay attention to such survival training, including the protagonist, Lieutenant Colonel Soshnikov.
Captain Muravyov even stood up directly, questioned and confronted Major Zakharov: Did he shoot at us with live ammunition? What is the use of such training? If the real Russian army is also like this, it shows that the status of Russian pilots is still quite high.
The film then enters a 20-minute stage of literary drama, reflecting the lives and experiences of the two Air Force pilots. Muravyov's wife was pregnant, Soshnikov's wife planned to open a restaurant, and the couple had a good relationship with their children and a happy life. From the dialogue, we can know that Part of Theorshnikov's reason for joining the army stemmed from a commitment to his father. There are two more interspersed events in this episode: Soshnikov meets his former apprentice and persuades him to work in civil aviation; and recalls his military school experience. These are all manifestations of his love for the Air Force.
When he was in his second year at the military academy, he was at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union and a large number of cadets dropped out. The slips of mouth in the old instructor's words and the ridicule of some trainees conveyed the loss and confusion of the army and the cause of national defense at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
There are also some similar bridges, so that the literary drama in the film has flesh and blood, which makes a better preparation for the whole film. Especially the words that Soshnikov said when he refused a job offer from a rich man, cool! handsome!
This was followed by the order to send personnel to Syria. Soshnikov, as an old pilot, took the initiative to ask to go to the front. Although the later sections, such as hiding from the wife, comrades-in-arms, and the wife from displeasure to support, etc., are also common in domestic films, the film can be said to be handled well. The process of Soshnikov's acquaintance and love with his wife is also interspersed throughout the film, gradually reflecting why his wife fell in love with him - appreciating, understanding and supporting the ideals and responsibilities of a soldier. A peaceful and quiet life is what everyone aspires to, but national security and honor are the cornerstones of peace and tranquility.
After a period of preparation and training, they went to the front to fight. First, he became familiar with the airspace, and then he carried out a mission with the special forces led by Major Zakharov.
In this martial arts scene, the Su-24 actually did not perform much, but when the special forces were withdrawn, four bombs were loaded and quickly attacked, blowing up the chemical weapons manufacturing site of the extremist organization. What impressed the audience even more was how the Russian special forces captured the leaders of the extremist groups alive.
In this operation, a team of foreign mercenaries slipped through the net (in terms of language and style, apparently when the Americans filmed it). Moreover, based on the Russian combat operations, they proposed a plan: to plan operations in the area close to the Syrian-Turkish border to attract Russian fighters to attack; to notify the Turkish military in advance and let it send fighter jets to attack Soviet fighters who accidentally crossed the border.
This operation of mercenaries and extremists was largely successful. When Soshnikov's two-plane formation took off from the base, lurkers reported the situation through mobile phones.
The convoy of extremists then turned to the Turkish border. Soshnikov's Su-24 was about to return after firing a missile to destroy the extremist convoy when it was attacked by a sudden F-16 launch air-to-air missile. Although the Su-24 relied on jamming bombs and maneuvers to avoid the first missile, when the second missile struck, there were no jamming bombs, and the aircraft was seriously injured and caught fire.
Soshnikov and Muravyov catapulted and parachuted, and the planned extremists drove to the landing site. Under rifle and machine gun fire, Soshnikov was unfortunately killed.
Although Muravyov temporarily escaped the extremists' search, he was also in danger. After that, the film's plot of about 15 minutes revolves around how to rescue him. However, the first rescue of the Russian army was seriously frustrated. First of all, Muravyov called for help through the life-saving radio, but was intercepted by extremists, and he had to abandon the radio to escape.
Later, relying on an old mobile phone and contacting Soshnikov's old comrades-in-arms, he was able to let the rear know that he was still alive. The first russian rescue force, two Mi-17 helicopters, also wounded one in a confrontation with extremists, seriously wounding one soldier and having to withdraw.
The subsequent rescue section did not have much tactical content, but tried to highlight the Russian military's use of all means to vigorously combat extremists and mercenaries. In order to protect Muravyov's wife in labor, the authorities also sent people to "meet" her, go to the restaurant to drink coffee and chat, and cut off the TV signal in the restaurant.
Under the onslaught of special forces, Syrian government forces, drones, helicopter gunships, and even frigates and bombers, extremists and mercenaries were almost swept away, and Muravyov was successfully rescued.
The film ends with Soshnikov's funeral, and fragments of his and his wife's love story are interspersed. At the end of the film, I feel that the filming is very good, the paper airplane fits the theme of "sky" very well, and the military salute and oath of Soshnikov's young son are also very lacking in the education of mainland teenagers.
Appearance of weapons, the number and realism is acceptable
The protagonist of the weapon in this film is, of course, the Su-24 fighter-bomber.
It was first designed and finalized by the Soviet Union in 1974, when NATO was nicknamed "Fencer". It was the first Soviet aircraft equipped with a digital attack aiming/terrain navigation system, marking a new technological step in the Soviet Union's airborne fire control and electronics at that time, and the gap with its rival United States was narrowed.
In appearance, the aircraft's biggest feature is the variable swept wing layout, which is the same as the American F-111 fighter-bomber at the time. When taking off, the wings are forward, and the back sweep angle is small, which can improve lift and facilitate take-off. Increasing the swept angle after liftoff can reduce drag and help to fly at high speeds and rush to the target area. After reaching the target area, the swept back angle is reduced and the slowdown is reduced, which is conducive to accurate attack. This feature is reflected in the film.
However, the wing swept angle of the Su-24 cannot be fixed at any angle, but has four fixed angles: 16°, 35°, 45°, 69°. The American F-111 can be selected from 16° to 72.5° at a swept back angle.
The Su-24 has 4 mount points under the wings and 4 under the fuselage. It can carry up to 8 tons of plug-ins, including auxiliary fuel tanks, air-to-ground missiles, bombs, rockets, air-to-air missiles, etc., and can even carry nuclear bombs. However, in actual combat, it is rare to be able to hang so much ammunition. In this film, it also only carries anti-runway bombs and air-to-ground missiles. The attack power of the fighter-bomber, in addition to the amount of ammunition, must also rely on the excellent ground observation and aiming system. In this respect, it is worse than the corresponding American F-111.
▲ Inside the cockpit of the Su-24, the instruments look old-fashioned. Of course, in the last century, the American F-111 is basically such a disc-shaped instrument, and there are not many square displays, not to mention the current LCD screens.
The Su-24M that appears in the film, which was manufactured between 1981 and 1993, is the main improvement of the Su-24 series, and is also the most equipped model in the Soviet Union and Russia. The obvious difference in appearance from the earlier model is that there is an additional retractable refueling probe in the middle of the front of the cockpit. In addition, engines, navigation, and fire control equipment have also been improved, and more types of ammunition can be carried.
The film also features Su-27 fighter jets, as well as Turkey's U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets (pictured below).
In addition, there are many shots that also show some small details of the Su-24. For example, the front landing gear has a fender above the rear of the wheel, because one of the design goals of the Su-24 is to deploy to the front line as a tactical aviation and take off on unclean and damaged runways.
▲ The ground crew is equipped with a deceleration parachute in the rear of the aircraft, and the black tip cone on it is a radar warning antenna
There are two types of ammunition that match the protagonist's landline.
On the first mission, the Russians dispatched only one of Sorshnikov's crews, carrying four BETAB-500 anti-runway bombs, two below the mid-wing segment and two behind the landing gear under the fuselage.
The identification feature of this bomb is that it is divided into two sections, with a step in the middle, where a circle of rocket engine spouts is distributed. Its front is made of explosives and rocket engines, and the rear is a deceleration parachute cabin. When using it, the Su-24 usually flies low down the enemy runway and drops bombs one after another. After the bomb is dropped, first release the rear deceleration umbrella, not only to slow yourself down, but more importantly, to turn the warhead to the ground, as vertical as possible. As it approached the ground, the rocket engine started, and the projectile body was violently accelerated, plunging into the ground of the runway before it exploded. The deeper the drill, the greater the damage to the runway. Under normal circumstances, it can penetrate a meter of reinforced concrete and blast out a crater with a diameter of about 20 meters.
Above is the video of the real BETAB-500 and its use. When the mainland introduced the Su-27 fighter jet in the 1990s, it also purchased this anti-runway bomb as a supporting weapon. In Syria a few years ago, the Russian army used it as a ground drill bomb to attack the underground warehouses of extremist groups.
In this film, the four bombs are thrown without releasing a deceleration umbrella, nor is the rocket accelerated. I don't know whether it is the director, special effects to save trouble, or because the target is only a building, not a low-altitude bomb, so the bomb can rely on gravity to fall freely, and there is no need for a set of deceleration and acceleration process.
On the second mission, two Su-24s were dispatched, both carrying four Kh-25 air-to-ground missiles.
It was also developed during the Soviet period and began to be equipped in 1974, and NATO gave it a designation, AS-10. It is similar to the American AGM-65 "baby animal" (also often translated as "Maverick") air-to-ground missile, and is also a family, with five models:
Kh-25MR, radio command guided type;
Kh-25ML, semi-active laser-guided type;
Kh-25MP, anti-radiation type;
Kh-25MT, TV-guided;
Kh-25MTL, infrared imaging guidance type.
The cartridge has a modular design, and the difference between different models is only on the front seeker, and the other sections remain basically unchanged. The missiles that appear in the film, depending on the round warhead, should be photoelectrically guided Kh-25MT, Kh-25MTL, or Kh-25ML. But there is also an obvious outfit in the film.
As you can see from the above shot, there is a red lid in front of the warhead. This is the protection of the photoelectric seeker during storage and transportation, and should be taken off before take-off, like this below.
Another feature of the bomb is that the nozzles of the rocket engine are not directly behind, but on both sides of the projectile body behind the tail. It can be seen in the orange position of the picture above, as well as in the screenshot of the video below.
This design comes from the predecessor of the bomb, the Kh-23 (NATO as AS-7). The Kh-23 is radio-directed, with a command receiving antenna at the tail. The Kh-25 is designed to replace the Kh-23, based on it, and the basic type is also radio command guidance, so it retains the main features of the structural layout and shape of the projectile.
The battle scenes in the film are actually more around the special forces on the ground, so there are more individual weapons.
In addition to the AK-12 assault rifle, PKM machine gun, 35 mm automatic grenade launcher, anti-tank missiles used by special forces, there are also pilot's pistols. However, this film is "sky" after all, and the ground weapons will not be repeated.
At the end of the film, in order to create an atmosphere, there are more weapons on camera, but they are close to a glimpse, and it is estimated that the Russian military propaganda materials are used.
▲ Su-27, Ka-52, Mi-28 appeared on camera, I recognize, after all, Ka-52 also beat extremists.
▲ So many radars appeared on camera, I also recognized, it should be necessary to monitor the Turkish fighters to prevent them from being attacked again.
▲ But this frigate, anti-submarine helicopter, sonar jamming, and even the huge white swan strategic bomber throwing air-launched cruise missiles to hold the scene, this position is a little too big, right?
Overall, the types of weapons that appear in the film are not small. Although the appearance time and intensity are not as good as the World War II films and the American war films, it is not bad to understand the current situation of the Russian Air and Space Force and special forces.
Derived from historical facts, higher than historical facts
Artistic creation always says "from life, higher than life". In terms of historical restoration, the author also gave three stars to "Sky", because the film is indeed a script based on real battle examples.
In September 2015, Russia sent a variety of military aircraft to Syria to help the Syrian government fight extremist groups. On November 24, 2015, a Su-24 briefly entered Turkish airspace while bombing ground targets, only to be shot down by F-16s.
▲ It is said to be a photo of the Su-24 being shot down at that time
The plane crashed inside Syria, the pilot parachuted and was attacked by armed men on the ground (some reported to be the Syrian Turkish Brigade, others reported to be the Turkmen Brigade), one person was killed, and the other was rescued by the Russian army. During the Russian search and rescue, a Mi-8 helicopter was indeed injured and forced to land, and a Marine on board was killed.
▲ It is said to be a search and rescue helicopter that was attacked at the time
Russia immediately lodged solemn protests and representations with Turkey and terminated all military cooperation with Turkey. The Russian army also let the "Glory" class cruiser "Moscow" arrive near the Coast of Turkey and Syria, and sent more troops to Syria. Russia and Turkey fought for half a year, and finally Turkey apologized to Russia on the matter.
Later, some media reported that in order to recover the remains of the fallen pilots, the Russian army carried out extraordinary strikes against relevant armed groups.
Therefore, the plot of this film, not to mention the restoration of history, can also be regarded as a creation with historical basis.
Tactical performance, a bit eye-catching
The rationality of the battle plot and tactical arrangement in the film is not bad, and there is no bridge section that clearly violates the basic tactical principles. The two bombing operations of the Su-24 should also follow the real tactical flow.
As for the reasons that led to Sorshnikov's sacrifice and the failure of the first rescue, it should not be the director's blind fabrication, but basically referred to the incident in 2015, which can also be regarded as a more realistic reflection of some problems of the Russian Air Force. There are also russian special forces operations, with some bright spots.
In this regard, we will elaborate on the topic from the movie "Sky" to see the weakness and vitality of the Russian army.
It's not an audiovisual feast, but it's a masterpiece of emotion
In terms of special effects, the quality of the film is not bad, but it is not long. For example, the following section of the cloud flight, the traces of CG production are more obvious, and the visual effect is generally good.
Looking at special operations, it is more intense, especially in the first operation. Therefore, it is necessary to talk about audiovisual enjoyment, that is, Samsung.
But the story about Soshnikov interspersed in the film, his feelings for his family and military position, and his influence on his children are well filmed. The middle theme song and the funeral at the end of the film, these two plots, the atmosphere is very good, let people really feel the heroism and future of some Russian air and space forces.
This is also the reason why I see it as a Propaganda Film of the Russian Air and Space Force. There are reports that "Sky" was listed by Russia as a "designated defense military must-see feature film" by Russia on November 23, 2021, and the author feels that the film is qualified.
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