Pacific Fleet ships are seeking for "enemy" subs at the Vostok 2010 exercise

02.07.2010 Pacific Fleet's (PF) large and small ASW ships started drills on searching and destroying "enemy" submarines on Thursday in the Japan Sea under the large-scale operational-strategic exercise Vostok 2010, reports RIA Novosti referring to Capt 1 rank Roman Martov, the head of PF Press Service.

Large-scale operational-strategic exercise Vostok 2010 started on Tuesday, June 29 at the territory of Far East and Siberian military districts; the exercise is the core event in Russian Armed Forces' combat training period. On Wednesday ships of Pacific, Northern, and Black Sea fleets got in the exercise which is to be finished on July 8.

Overall leadership is carried out by General of the Army Nikolai Makarov, the Chief of the General Staff. During the exercise it is planned to summarize interim measures done in 2009 under the renovation program of Russian Armed Forces.

"On Thursday PF large and small ASW ships started searching, detection, and destroying of "enemy" submarines in various regions of the Sea of Japan. Naval aviation renders assistance in submarine search", pointed out the interviewee.

According to him, all actions of mariners and aviation are monitored by special sensors and systems, making possible to assess qualification level of the crews and pilots. Simulated destruction of detected subs will also be registered; accuracy of drill attacks will be evaluated instrumentally.

The interviewee reminded that on Wednesday Northern Fleet flagship missile cruiser Petr Veliky and Black Sea Fleet flagship missile cruiser Moskva were alerted and dispatched to the Sea of Japan. Also, large group of PF warships and auxiliary vessels sailed off different basing sites. All coastal services and marine units of the fleet were alarmed as well.

Crews of ships, naval aviation, coastal units, and marines will have to conduct dozens of various combat drills, including minelaying and minesweeping; missile and artillery firings upon land, sea, and air targets; search, detection, and destroy "enemy" submarines; large-scale landing operation.

"Over 30 PF warships and supply vessels will take part in the exercise. Among them are large and small ASW ships, fast-speed missile boats. 20 aircrafts and helicopters of PF Naval Aviation will be involved too", specified Martov.

Press service of Russian defense ministry previously reported that the Vostok 2010 exercise implies cooperation of PF ships with FSB Frontier Service in defense of Russian sea borders, interdiction of poaching in Russian territorial waters, and countering piracy in the region.

During various phases of the Vostok 2010 exercise different independent tactical episodes will be held at Far East ranges including training firings and troops redeployments for long distances with a view to localize (liquidate) internal armed conflicts in unfamiliar and hardly accessible regions.

In total, it is planned to involve in the exercise up to 20,000 servicemen, up to 70 aircrafts, up to 2,500 units of weapons, military and special equipment, and over 30 ships.