Joint maneuvers of ships and long-range aviation of Russia in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea attracted the attention of foreign military personnel. The actions of the missile cruiser "Moscow" from neutral waters were monitored by an F-35B fighter from the British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, which did not prevent the Russian military from fulfilling its tasks.
In the first part of the maneuvers, according to the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, the crews of the ships worked out tasks to repel an enemy air attack and conducted air defense training at the Khmeimim air base and the port of Tartus. The exercises involved the missile cruiser "Moscow", the frigates "Admiral Essen" and "Admiral Makarov", as well as the submarines "Stary Oskol" and "Rostov-on-Don".
According to Anton Kruglov, senior assistant to the commander of the Admiral Makarov frigate, special attention was paid to countering enemy aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The maneuvering of the ships was carried out in cooperation with the Il-38 anti-submarine aircraft, and the Su-35 fighters and Su-34 fighter-bombers provided air cover. The Ka-27 anti-submarine helicopter, based on the Admiral Makarov frigate, participated in the search operations.
At another stage of the maneuvers, long-range Tu-22M3 bombers and MiG-31K fighters armed with hypersonic Dagger missiles entered the "battle".
- As part of the exercises, two MiG-31K sorties were made to the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, where we performed two tactical launches against the targets of a conditional enemy. The tasks have been successfully solved, the match has worked out for an excellent rating, " the commander of one of the MiG-31K noted.
The use of MiG-31K aircraft and Tu-22M3 long-range bombers from the Khmeimim airfield became possible as a result of the reconstruction of the runway.
-The new runway allows you to transfer any samples of weapons and equipment to the Khmeimim airfield and, in general, maximizes the possibilities of using the Aerospace Forces,-said the commander of long - range aviation, Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylash.
Now the crews of the Russian long-range aviation and the latest missile weapons carriers have an excellent opportunity to practice practical skills in the airspace over the Mediterranean Sea.
Nikolay Grishchenko
