Due to a shortage of qualified pilots at the end of the war, Izmailov found himself commanding a flight of Su-38 Slamhounds in the 403rd Ground Attack Squadron at the very young age of 23, and was tasked with flying ground support missions for anti-bandit operations in Southern Russia. He and his pilots soon became experts in precision ground attacks, flying at high speed through the mountainous terrain to avoid enemy Surface-to-Air missiles.