CHELYABINSK, April 27 - RAPSI. The Chelyabinsk Region Court will hear on May 18 a lawsuit filed by Chelyabinsk residents to stop Su-24 frontier bombers from flying over the city.

The applicants claim that the noise level exceeds sanitary norms.

An air base was moved to the Shagol aerodrome in Chelyabinsk in November 2010. Later, local residents began complaining to the city authorities about the noise produced by combat aircraft flying over the city. They claim the military violates their right to a positive living environment.

The residents complain about the intensive roar produced by aircraft flying over the city at low altitudes every 10-15 minutes, frightening children and triggering car alarms. The plaintiffs note that training flights are even sometimes carried out at night.

The airbase commander said earlier that the flights pose no threat to the residents.

He also noted that it would be impossible to move the base out of the city any time soon. He added that the noise is created when aircrafts turn on their afterburner when preparing to land.

However, the landing path cannot be changed, he stressed.

The Su-24 is a Soviet and Russian frontier bomber designed to deliver missile and bomb attacks at low altitudes. It is one of the most popular aircraft in Russias Air Force today. However, it runs a high crash risk. Sixteen air crashes involving Su-24/24Ms have occurred since 2000.