Calculations of missile systems conducted training in the Baltic Sea, the Kola Peninsula, Chukotka and Kotelny Island
On Wednesday, as part of the strategic exercise Ocean-2024, the coastal missile forces of the fleets performed their intended tasks. One of these units landed from large amphibious ships of the Pacific Fleet on the Chukchi Peninsula. This is a very difficult element of combat training and it is necessary to cover the Northern Sea Route in this region, experts say. At the same time, nuclear submarines and ships of the Northern Fleet worked out the search for submarines of a conditional enemy with the performance of practical firing.
Rocket launchers hit the ships of the "enemy" during the exercise "Ocean-2024"
Units of the coastal missile regiment of Troops and forces in the North-East of Russia were transferred from Kamchatka by sea on large amphibious ships of the Pacific Fleet to the coast of the Chukchi Peninsula, the military department reported on Wednesday. After the landing, they marched to the positional areas, having worked out the organization of marching guards at that time. In the designated area, the rocket men took up positions to monitor the surface situation. Technical units conducted missile training for the firing division.
— Units of the coastal missile forces began landing on the Chukchi Peninsula relatively recently, — military expert Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia. — Performing combat missions there is a rather big problem every time, both with the transfer of troops from Petropavlovsk—Kamchatsky, and with the fact that it is difficult to live in Chukotka, in particular, very difficult weather conditions there. This is not an easy task in terms of logistics, troop deployment and survival.
Delivery of a unit of the coastal missile regiment of the Pacific Fleet to Chukotka as part of the Ocean-2024 command and staff exercises
Image source: Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
However, it is necessary to work out such transfers of forces, the expert noted: the north-eastern passage of the Northern Sea Route goes just around Chukotka. And if the aggressor starts to break through in this region, it will need to be met with Onyx missiles of the Bastion complexes.
Maneuvers of coastal missile units are also taking place in other fleets. In the Baltic, the military personnel of the Baltic Naval Base worked out the destruction of ships of a simulated enemy and striking critical coastal facilities with Bastion complexes. They conducted electronic launches of Onyx anti-ship missiles at conditional targets.
The calculation of the Bastion coastal missile system is practicing a strike on conditional targets within the framework of the Ocean-2024 command and staff exercises in the Kaliningrad region
Image source: Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
"Mobile launchers, having made a march, were immediately deployed in the specified area with pre-equipped positions. In accordance with the instructions received, the rocket launchers struck a detachment of ships of a conditional enemy, which were navy warships performing tasks at sea, and then covertly changed their firing position," the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
After changing the position and reloading the launchers, new targets were assigned to the calculations of the Bastions.
The division of the missile brigade of the Kola Flotilla of heterogeneous forces worked out combat training tasks in the Northern Fleet. The unit deployed launchers in a positional area on the coast of the Barents Sea. The personnel of the division began preparing the Bastion complexes for firing at surface targets.
The Bal and Bastion coastal missile systems of the Northern Fleet are being moved to combat positions as part of the Ocean-2024 command and staff exercises
Image source: Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
In the near future, the heterogeneous forces of the Northern Fleet will work out the tasks of organizing interaction, check the readiness of personnel for sudden introductory actions and begin performing combat training exercises with the actual use of weapons.
In addition, the training was conducted by calculations of the Bastion coastal missile systems of the Northern Fleet, based on Kotelny Island in the Novosibirsk Islands archipelago. They worked out combat training tasks to destroy surface targets of a simulated enemy in the Arctic zone of Russia. The role of a conditional enemy was performed by a detachment of warships of the Northern Fleet, led by the large anti-submarine ship Vice Admiral Kulakov. According to the terms of the exercise, the enemy tried to disrupt maritime communications and was preparing to launch a missile attack on the coastal infrastructure of the Northern Fleet in the Novosibirsk Islands archipelago.
Bastion coastal missile systems in combat position as part of the Ocean-2024 command and staff exercises
Image source: Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Missile forces play a key role in protecting the Russian coast, military expert Captain 1st Rank Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia.
"The coastal missile forces are equipped with Bastion and Bal complexes," he explained. — One shoots at 500 km, the other at about 260 km. There are such units in all fleets, they are stationed, including on the Novosibirsk Islands, on the Kuril Islands. This is a very serious remedy against ships and not only. Now the Black Sea Fleet is firing such missiles deep into Ukraine. In the event of an attack on the Russian coast, these complexes should become an essential element of defense and destroy the landing force that tries to land. They are indispensable when hitting ships and the coastline.
Search for submarines in the Barents Sea
On Wednesday, the heterogeneous forces of the Northern Fleet began searching for submarines of a conditional enemy in the waters of the Barents Sea.
This episode of the exercise is played out in a two-way format. It involves two naval search and strike groups, including the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Levchenko and the small anti-submarine ships Brest and Snezhnogorsk. Multi-purpose nuclear submarines, Tu-142 anti-submarine aircraft, Il-38 anti-submarine aircraft and Ka-27PL naval anti-submarine helicopters are also involved.
IL-38 anti-submarine aircraft during the search for submarines of a simulated enemy and testing the use of anti-submarine weapons as part of the Okean-2024 command and staff exercises in the Barents Sea
Image source: Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
"The anti-submarine forces of the Northern Fleet, in cooperation with anti-submarine aviation and a nuclear submarine missile cruiser, have begun checking the lack of tracking of fleet forces and searching for submarines of a simulated enemy. Long-range Tu-142 and Il-38 aircraft operated on distant borders. Ka-27 helicopters were engaged in the search for submarines of a simulated enemy in the near zone. During this episode of the exercise, the combat crews of the nuclear submarine worked out underwater maneuvering and the use of sonar weapons in active search mode, the combat organization of the crew and the algorithm of actions when detecting and attacking an underwater enemy. Surface maneuvering, the use of sonar and anti-submarine weapons were practiced by the crews of large and small anti-submarine ships," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The Ka-27PL shipboard anti-submarine helicopter during the search for submarines of a simulated enemy and testing the use of anti-submarine weapons as part of the Okean-2024 command and staff exercises in the Barents Sea
Image source: Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
At the final stage of the exercise episode, the crews of the ships performed torpedo firing, depth bombing and firing torpedo missiles.
The Caspian flotilla destroys mines, the Baltic Fleet intercepts drones
On the Caspian Flotilla, on the second day of the exercise, the crews of the Dagestan missile ship and the small artillery ships Astrakhan and Volgodonsk worked out tasks to destroy a floating sea mine that poses a threat to civilian navigation. After that, two small missile ships practiced launching a missile attack on a detachment of ships of a simulated enemy with electronic launches of anti-ship cruise missiles "Caliber".
The Baltic Fleet also conducted maneuvers to search for and destroy unmanned boats (BEC) of a conditional enemy.
Reflection of an air raid by a simulated enemy by ships of the Northern Fleet in the Barents Sea as part of the Ocean-2024 command and staff exercises
Image source: Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
The crews of the Ka-27 helicopters of the Baltic Fleet naval aviation performed group training flights over the Baltic Sea. They gradually worked out the tasks of a group search for small-sized mobile targets, and after detecting a simulated enemy's back, they fired at them with large-caliber machine guns, the Defense Ministry said.
A naval group of the Northern Fleet on Wednesday repelled an air raid by a simulated enemy in the Barents Sea. It consisted of the missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov and the frigate Admiral Golovko. The sailors were opposed by pilots of naval fighter regiments on deck Su-33 and MiG-29K fighters, which simulated an attack by ships from various heights and directions. The crew of the missile cruiser used the Fort anti-aircraft missile system in the electronic launch firing mode on aircraft. The frigate fired at a simulated target with the Palash anti-aircraft artillery complex and the Poliment-Redut air defense system.
Strikes on critical facilities have been worked out
As part of the Ocean-2024 exercise, two Tu-160 strategic missile carriers flew over the neutral waters of the Barents and Norwegian Seas, the Ministry of Defense reported. The crews worked out training questions on launching cruise missile airstrikes against critical targets of a simulated enemy. The missile carriers were accompanied by the crews of Su-35S and Su-30SM aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
The Tu-160 strategic missile carrier is taxiing for takeoff as part of the Ocean-2024 command and staff exercises
Image source: Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
More than 90 thousand military personnel, over 400 ships and vessels, 125 aircraft, more than 7.5 thousand units of weapons and equipment are involved in the strategic exercise Ocean-2024. Three ships, one vessel and 15 aircraft were involved from the People's Liberation Army of China. These are the largest naval maneuvers since the Soviet Union.
According to the commander-in-chief of the Navy, Admiral Alexander Moiseev, the exercises are bilateral: the Northern Fleet acts as a conditional enemy, it is opposed by the Pacific, Baltic fleets and the Caspian Flotilla. Practical actions are being practiced in the waters of 13 marine areas in three strategic directions.
Roman Kretsul
Vladimir Matveev
