Baltic Fleet Ships and Aircraft Passed Exams at Sea

02.05.2012 Baltic Fleet (BF) frigate Neustrashimy and corvette Soobrazitelny along with naval aviation have carried out drills at sea closing the winter training period.

At the first stage, crews of the surface ships performed over 10 gun and missile firing drills against sea and air targets, exercised in jamming, practiced maneuvering in narrow waters and limited visibility. The crews also held underway damage control drills.

At the next phase, ships maintained deck takeoff/landing drills of ASW helicopter crews. Interaction between ship crews and pilots of BF antisubmarine helicopter squadron is one of important elements in their combat training.

For BF helicopter pilots, it is the first large-scale flights and deck-landing practice in this year. Through two days, they have performed over 50 deck landings on the drift and under way, including 15 in the nighttime.

Night flights take a special place in helicopter pilot's training program. Each of them must be able to fly in conditions of limited visibility, perform flight task, safe instrument deck takeoff and landing.

During the exercise, pilots practiced tactical techniques of searching and tracing of submarines in the daytime and at night, search and rescue of sailors in distress, and picking them up from the water.

Completing training activities in the Baltic Sea, crews of Neustrashimy and Soobrazitelny along with salvage tug assisted and towed a "damaged" ship, as well as held underway transshipment drills of liquid cargoes.