The largest maneuvers of the Russian fleets in recent decades have ended
The Russian Navy has completed the Ocean-2024 exercises, which have become the largest in recent decades. 400 ships and vessels and about 90 thousand military personnel took part in them, they took place in different waters, including in the ocean zone. The fleet performed firing with all types of weapons, practiced strikes on ground targets, and anti-submarine measures. Experts call working out the protection of the Northern Sea Route and joint actions with Chinese partners key elements of the maneuvers.
The Russian Navy has worked out the protection of the Northern Sea Route
The Strategic Command and Staff exercise "Ocean-2024" was held from September 10 to 16 under the overall leadership of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral Alexander Moiseev.
The maneuvers took place in the waters of the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, the Mediterranean, the Caspian and the Baltic Seas. In total, they involved more than 400 warships, submarines and support vessels of the auxiliary fleet, 125 aircraft and helicopters of the naval aviation and the Aerospace Forces, about 7 thousand units of weapons, military and special equipment, over 90 thousand personnel.
Four warships, a supply ship and 15 aircraft participated in Ocean 2024 from the People's Liberation Army of China. Thus, a joint detachment of ships of the Russian Navy and the naval forces of the People's Liberation Army of China conducted a comprehensive exercise, within which they repelled an air raid and eliminated the threat of attack by drones and unmanned boats, as well as destroyed an enemy submarine in the Sea of Japan.
The anti-submarine ship Admiral Levchenko during the strategic command and staff exercises Ocean-2024
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the purpose of the exercises was to check in detail the key points of combat readiness of the management bodies, units and formations of the Navy and the Aerospace Forces, to determine the coherence of their actions.
During the maneuvers, everything that might be required for the war tomorrow was worked out: rocket firing, deployment of ships, lifting and transferring aircraft, amphibious operations, military expert Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia.
The Ka-27 helicopter during the strategic command and staff exercises "Ocean-2024"
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov
"Given maneuvers of this magnitude, the next level of fleet verification is only war," he explained. — The deployment of fleet forces at sea was carried out, the Northern Fleet ensured the withdrawal of large ships and a nuclear submarine. They fired from the shore and from the ships. Practically everything that may be required from the fleet during combat operations was worked out. The main elements were the protection of the Northern Sea Route, ensuring the deployment of nuclear submarines at sea, as well as the fact that the Chinese joined our ships in Primorye. The Caspian flotilla maneuvered and conducted missile firing. From this area, it is possible to hit American bases in the Middle East region.
One of the key elements that were worked out during the exercises was the protection of the Northern Sea Route, according to military expert, Captain 1st rank Vasily Dandykin.
Diesel-electric submarine during the strategic command and staff exercises "Ocean-2024"
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov
"This is one of the hottest spots, even though it's cold there," he told Izvestia. — Because the Americans want to establish themselves there in every possible way, not by washing, but by skating. Therefore, escorting convoys, landing troops with the support of aviation, and shooting were practiced there. We trained according to the full scheme, taking into account the prevailing realities. The Northern Sea Route is guarded by the Northern Fleet, partly by the Pacific Fleet. During the development of the protection of this route, fire and anti-submarine missions were practiced, in addition, reconnaissance flights were conducted. The island garrisons also participated.
The expert called the fight against unmanned boats, which have recently increasingly posed a threat to naval forces, another important element.
— And the third important point is that Chinese sailors took an active part in working out all tasks in the Far East. They are extremely interested in cooperation with our fleet," concluded Vasily Dandykin.
As part of the strategic command and staff exercises Ocean-2024, the Il-38 medium-range anti-submarine aircraft, together with Su-30SM and Su-33 fighters of the Northern Fleet Aviation Corps, worked out the actions of the forces on duty to organize the protection and defense of the Severomorsk-1 airfield
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov
We had exercises in ocean areas before that. But in recent years, they have begun to work out the interaction of fleets and inter-theater maneuvers. And the past exercises are interesting because three fleets operated according to a single plan and plan, that is, in fact, the Navy as a whole, Admiral Sergei Avakyants, ex-commander of the Pacific Fleet, told Izvestia.
"This increases the role of the High Command and the Navy as a separate branch of the Armed Forces," the Admiral explained. — And most importantly, the ability of the Russian Navy to conduct independent operations in the far sea zone and in oceanic areas is confirmed. Subsequently, this will require a change in theory and a return to strategic operations in oceanic areas. This opportunity opens up after the Navy has received new generation ships and submarines armed with long-range cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons.
Amphibious landings and missile launches
The ships of the Northern Fleet landed marines on the unequipped coast of Chukotka as part of the Ocean-2024 exercise, the military department said.
At the first stage, the large anti-submarine ship Vice Admiral Kulakov suppressed the firing points of the imaginary enemy on the coast with naval artillery and provided favorable conditions for the landing of marines. At the second stage, the landing of armored vehicles was practiced in a "point—blank" way, in which the ship comes close to the coastline and the equipment goes directly ashore.
The sailors of the Pacific Fleet launched Onyx and Uran cruise missiles from the Bastion and Bal coastal complexes, and the Baltic Fleet conducted electronic missile launches at sea and land targets, working out the destruction of ships of a simulated enemy and striking critical coastal facilities with Bastion complexes.
The Bastion missile defense system launcher during the task of anti-amphibious defense of a section of the sea coast as part of the first stage of the strategic command and staff exercises Ocean-2024 at the Khmelevka training ground
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov
On the first day of Okean-2024, the sailors of the Northern Fleet launched a Kalibr missile from the Admiral Golovko frigate and repelled an air raid in the Barents Sea. The sailors were opposed by pilots of naval fighter regiments on deck Su-33 and MiG-29K fighters. They simulated the attack of ships from various heights and directions.
In the waters of the Sea of Japan, the R-14 and R-18 missile boats were the first to fire Mosquito cruise missiles. The missiles hit a naval shipboard simulating a surface ship of a simulated enemy.
A few seconds later, the launch of the Kalibr-PL cruise missile from an underwater position was carried out by the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky diesel-electric submarine.
Launch of the P-270 Moskit cruise anti-ship missile during the Okean-2024 strategic command and staff exercises
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov
From the Barents Sea, the launch of a Kalibr cruise missile at a naval target at a distance of more than 200 km was carried out by the crew of the frigate of the Northern Fleet Admiral Golovko. The control of the results of fire damage was carried out using the UAV "Outpost-R".
Long-range anti-submarine aircraft Tu-142 and Il-38 and Il-38N aircraft of the naval aviation of the Pacific Fleet conducted a group search for submarines of a simulated enemy, as well as tracking them using radar and sonar equipment in the near area of responsibility of the Pacific Fleet during the Okean-2024 SCSH. During this episode of the exercise, the forces of the "enemy" were designated by one of the diesel submarines of the Pacific Fleet.
The crews of four anti-submarine aircraft carried out the laying of minefields off the coast of Kamchatka. The fight against enemy submarines was also practiced on the other side of the country — in the waters of the Baltic Sea.
As part of the strategic command and staff exercises Ocean-2024, the Tu-142 Vologda anti-submarine aircraft of the Northern Fleet Aviation Corps on the runway before practicing the actions of the forces on duty to organize the protection and defense of the Severomorsk-1 airfield
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov
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 enemy targets. The missile carriers were accompanied by the crews of Su-35S and Su-30SM aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
Roman Kretsul
Julia Leonova
Andrey Fedorov
