Baltic Fleet ships sailed off to practice firing

23.04.2011 On Apr 22 several groups of Baltic Fleet ships were deployed in the sea to start firing drills. This is mandatory stage in preparation for the season of large-scale exercises.

Main guns fire at air target flying at 10 km away. To repel air attacks and conducting sea battle against enemy ships, a missile boat is armed with 76-mm bow gun and two aft rapid-fire guns. Fire control process is automated, but manual mode for emergency situations is provided as well. Fire burst created by six 30-mm barrels is so powerful that leaves no chances for a target. Gun system AK-630 is a versatile weapon; it turns a dummy target into a sieve in a flash.

NATO warships are always attentive spectators at the Baltic Fleet's "performance". They traditionally took places in the first row, close to our territorial waters limit. Today they are Swedish and Polish ships – our sailors recognized their silhouettes as soon as they appeared on the horizon.