A fundamental decision has been made to deploy the latest Bal coastal complexes in the Arctic, which will be located along the entire Northern Sea Route. Together with the Bastion systems previously deployed in the Arctic, they will take control of almost the entire coastal zone in the Arctic. According to experts, with the development of a powerful defense, maritime navigation in the region will become much safer.
A fundamental decision has been made to deploy the latest Bal coastal complexes in the Arctic, which will be located along the entire Northern Sea Route. Together with the Bastion systems previously deployed in the Arctic, they will take control of almost the entire coastal zone in the Arctic. According to experts, with the development of a powerful defense, maritime navigation in the region will become much safer.
At 80 degrees north latitude
As sources in the military department told Izvestia, at present, a fundamental decision on the deployment of the Bal coastal missile systems (DBK) has been made. The first systems are already on active duty on Franz Josef Land. In the future, units of the coastal missile forces will be deployed in other regions.
At the end of last year, the head of the Defense Ministry, Sergei Shoigu, said at the final board that the number of DBK "Bal" and "Bastion" the Armed Forces of the country reached the figure of 74% of the need. He also noted that the agency is systematically developing infrastructure in the Arctic. "On the island of Alexandra Land, the construction of a military base has been completely completed. This is the only object in the world at 80 degrees north latitude. It has a total of 334 buildings and structures. The runway at the Nagurskaya airfield has been increased to 3.5 kilometers, " the Minister said.
DBK " Bal " was adopted in 2008. It is designed to protect the coast and straits, as well as cover naval bases. It has the ability to fire both single missiles and volleys of up to 32 subsonic missiles. After reloading (takes 30-40 minutes), the complex is ready to fire a second salvo. DBK is a mobile system based on the MZKT-7930 chassis. It includes up to two self-propelled command posts, up to four launchers with eight X-35/X-35U cruise missiles, as well as transport and reloading vehicles.
The range of the DBK is more than 120 km. The complex is equipped with night vision devices and modern equipment. Thanks to the latest navigation system, Bal can quickly change starting positions. The deployment time is only 10 minutes.
"This is the next stage of the deployment of our Arctic group," military expert Viktor Murakhovsky told Izvestia. — It provides not only means of lighting the air, surface and underwater situation, but also the placement of fire weapons. Obviously, we are not going to use them in international waters, but our territorial waters must be reliably protected, including with such powerful complexes as"Bal". The Northern Sea Route passes through international and territorial waters. And we will not allow anyone to enter our territory without hindrance, especially warships. For civil vessels, there are appropriate rules, they can pass through the territorial waters in certain cases during registration. But the penetration of warships, and even more so in the case of military conflicts, will be prohibited, this is one hundred percent.
Farm security
On the Arctic islands, the Ministry of Defense creates tactical groups, which include units for providing airfields and protecting them, said military historian Dmitry Boltenkov.
— In addition, additional coastal forces are being deployed there. Due to the melting of the ice, there is more space where ships can go, " he explained. — And Russia recently submitted an application to the UN for the expansion of the economic zone. The DBK is another means of protecting our activities in the Arctic Ocean. If foreigners go there, they will know that they are being watched not only from planes, but also from the shore.
"Baly" is not the first complex located along the Northern Sea Route (NSR). In 2018, a Bastion battery was deployed on Kotelny Island. Kotelny is the largest in the archipelago of the Novosibirsk Islands, located between the Laptev and East Siberian Seas.
In addition, the VKS forces were sent to protect the Northern Sea Route. MiG-31BM aircraft of the Northern Fleet aviation squadron will be on duty at the island and mainland airfields in the Arctic. If necessary, they can be quickly relocated to any of the more than a dozen repaired airfields along the NSR. All last year, the new Arctic squadron of the 98th separate mixed aviation regiment conducted experimental exercises on the operation of aircraft along the NSR. The command recognized the results of the maneuvers as successful.
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| Infographics. coastal complex "Bal-U". |
| Source: iz.ru |
In recent years, Russia has been actively strengthening the coastal forces of the fleet and, in particular, the coastal missile and artillery troops. They are being re-equipped from the outdated "Redoubt" and "Rubezh" complexes to the latest "Bastion" and "Bal". In addition, modern divisions are being formed, and coastal missile regiments are being turned into full-fledged brigades.
Mass deliveries of the new DBK units started in 2015. One of the first to receive them was the 72nd separate Coastal Missile Brigade of the Pacific Fleet. In November 2016, the Bastion battery from its composition was deployed on the island of Iturup, and the Bal DBK battery on the island of Kunashir.
The decision to strengthen the land component of the fleet was not accidental. The history of Russia knows examples of the defense of naval bases from land strikes: Such battles occurred during the Crimean, Russian-Japanese and Great Patriotic Wars. According to Dmitry Boltenkov, this task was most successfully solved in 1941-1942.
Then, under a single naval command, defensive areas were created — operational associations of fleets, land forces and aviation to protect coastal regions. In particular, the defense of Odessa and the subsequent evacuation of parts of the Separate Primorsky Army was recognized as one of the most successful operations for the defense of naval bases in modern history.