Northern Fleet's exercise in the Barents Sea passed into active phase

08.09.2010 Northern Fleet (NF) conducts practical part of the summer training period's core activity – naval exercise under the general auspices of Vice Admiral Nikolai Maksimov, NF Commander.

Surface ships of various classes are attending the exercise, including missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov, destroyer Admiral Ushakov, large ASW ships Admiral Chabanenko and Severomorsk, submarines, ASW and long-range aviation, and marine units. Totally, over 4,000 NF servicemen are involved.

During the exercise such drills will be held as torpedo and artillery firings, search and kill of submarines, repel of aerial attacks. Totally, Northern mariners will practice over 60 combat drills of various difficulty levels.

One of the major tasks is practicing interaction between branches of the fleet and armed forces while conducting combined military operations. Prior to deployment of main forces in the Barents Sea, large landing ship Alexander Otrakovsky delivered antiaircraft missile battalion to Kildin Island; the battalion will cover ships and basing sites from aerial attacks. Antiaircrafters are to hit a dummy cruise missile launched by NF missile/artillery brigade.

Land troops are also involved in maneuvers; they practice joint operations with NF marines.

Missile firings carried out by shipborne and coastal systems will be the apogee of the exercise. Over ten cruise missiles (Granit, Vulkan, Moskit, Termit, and Progress) will be launched against various dummies.