Old and New at MAKS

Russia's biennial International Air and Space Salon — known as MAKS, its Russian acronym — launched on Tuesday and will run through Sunday. Begun in 1993, MAKS has become one of the main showcases of Russia's achievements in high-end technology and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.



This year along with cutting-edge fighter jets, helicopters and civilian aircraft, spectators will also see some American World War II military airplanes that flew the Alaska-Siberian route as part of the Lend-Lease program.



To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, several Russian and American pilots have flown the same route to Krasnoyarsk, and then flew on to Moscow. The Krasnoyarsk-Moscow leg of the trip took 18 days.



Two Douglas C-47 piloted by five Russian and four American pilots touched down at MAKS and will stay for three days to show off an earlier generation of aircraft and to remind visitors of the joint efforts of Russian and American forces to defeat Nazi Germany.



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President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during an opening ceremony of the MAKS International Aviation and Space Salon.

A Yakovlev Yak-130 subsonic jet trainer and light attack aircraft performs during a demonstration flight at the MAKS International Aviation and Space Salon.

Russian President Vladimir Putin looks at a "flying axe" constructed by participants of the Ot vinta! (Let's get going!) Children's Festival.