Targets separated: Navy helicopters will teach how to fight surface drones

The naval aviation combat training program was supplemented with new tasks for the Ka-27 and Ka-29

Naval aviation helicopters will learn how to deal with surface drones — such a section has appeared in the updated program of their combat training, sources in the Russian Defense Ministry told Izvestia. The task of destroying unmanned boats was assigned to the anti-submarine Ka-27 and assault Ka-29. The machines must act in conjunction: some find targets, others hit them. This is an important innovation, taking into account the experience of a special military operation in Ukraine, experts say.

Act in pairs

The Ministry of Defense has developed and approved a new combat training program for helicopter units of naval aviation to destroy unmanned aerial vehicles, sources in the military department told Izvestia. The document is based on the interaction of pairs of Ka-27 and Ka-29 helicopters. The former will perform reconnaissance tasks, search for surface drones, the latter will destroy detected objects.

The combat training program takes into account the specifics of the actions of all fleets and flotillas of the Russian Navy. Thus, in the anti-drone program developed for the naval aviation of the Northern Fleet, the emphasis is on searching for complex objects among the ice and in the conditions of the polar night. In the case of the Pacific Fleet, the main task is to search for surface drones over a large area in bad weather conditions.

Ka-27PS helicopter on the take-off pad of the Gromky corvette

Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Ankov

"One has discovered, the other is shooting"

During a special military operation in Ukraine, the enemy uses its unmanned naval drones well, military expert Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia.

— And we have certain problems with this, — he clarified. — The practice of warfare has shown that unmanned boats are easier to detect and destroy from helicopters. The Ka-27 and Ka-29 are available in all fleets. The Ka-27, in its search and rescue modification, can operate in the detection mode of small-sized targets and aim the Ka-29 at it. He can fly low and at low speed, has weapons capable of destroying marine drones, among other things. In such a combination, this will be the most effective use: one finds, the other shoots.

According to the expert, training in the fight against unmanned boats will not take much time for our helicopter pilots.

— This task is not too difficult for naval aviation, and it is feasible when building competent work. Our helicopter pilots need to practice detecting inconspicuous targets: be able to detect on radar, go out to it, see with an eye and work out.

Suspension of training bombs for the Ka-27 anti-submarine helicopter

Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Ankov

Helicopters and planes of our Aerospace forces have already destroyed unmanned boats in the Black Sea, and this practice should be extended to all fleets, military expert Alexei Leonkov told Izvestia.

— This is dictated by the experience of its own, as the enemy began to actively use marine drones against our surface ships, — he explained. — The task is to detect such drones early, and since their speed qualities are worse than those of our helicopters, they can also be destroyed from the air. It should be understood that the experience that the Ukrainian formations have received is actually not their experience, but those who ordered such operations. We can talk about well-planned operations that begin with reconnaissance: it turns out where the target is, then the development of an attack and its management. The likely opponent we are referring to, the NATO bloc, is likely to use this tactic in the future. Therefore, you need to prepare for this in advance and look for an effective antidote.

According to the expert, it is necessary to develop a system for detecting surface and underwater drones and it can be different: from the air, from the sea, from under water, if we talk about a sonar station.

— This is a warning system, transmitting information, for example, to a couple on duty in the air, alerting the means on duty at the airfield or on ships. Then search and fire impact with the available means. The helicopters that are involved in this task are designed for anti-submarine warfare. Now they just add a new feature," said Alexey Leonkov.

The Ka-27 is a deck—mounted anti-submarine helicopter designed to detect, track and destroy modern submarines traveling at depths up to 500 m at speeds up to 75 km/h, as well as surface targets. It can be based on ships of various classes, including aircraft carriers. It is equipped with an Octopus-E sighting and search system for detecting a submarine. It consists of sonar equipment, an indication of the navigation and tactical situation and an information computer and allows you to explore the water surface with an area of up to 2 thousand square kilometers within an hour.

The Ka-29 is a transport and combat helicopter designed for landing from ships and vessels of marine corps units, fire support of troops at any time of the day and in the most difficult weather conditions, transportation of various cargoes from ship to shore and back. It can carry guided and unguided missiles, small-gun and bomber weapons. If necessary, it can be equipped with GSH-23L guns of 23 mm caliber or A242 of 30 mm caliber.

Since the beginning of the special military operation, Ukraine has attacked ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet dozens of times with the help of marine drones.

For example, on March 22 last year, senior sailor Marina Faleeva and chief petty Officer Tatyana Tseluiko destroyed three naval drones attacking ships in Sevastopol with small arms.

The Ivan Khurs reconnaissance ship

Image source: Photo: TASS/press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

On May 24, the Ivan Khurs reconnaissance ship, which ensured the safety of the Turkish Stream and Blue Stream pipelines, sent three unmanned boats to the bottom.

On August 1, the Ukrainian Navy attempted to carry out an attack using three unmanned boats on civilian transport vessels en route to the Bosphorus Strait. The ships of the Black Sea Fleet destroyed them.

On September 14, the Samum missile ship destroyed one unmanned boat, and the patrol ship Sergei Kotov hit five.

On November 10, four surface drones tried to strike at the Russian amphibious assault boats of the 11770 Serna project.

Alexey Mikhailov

Andrey Fedorov