MOSCOW, April 13 (Itar-Tass) — The final stage of tactical exercises of the Russian Air Defence Troops is being held at the special firing range in the Eastern Military District in Buryatia. Russian air defence missile systems S-300 fire at cruise missiles, which are flying at extra-low altitudes, for the first time, chief press officer of the Eastern Military District Lieut. Col. Alexander Gordeyev told Itar-Tass on Friday.
“The launch crews of the air defence missile systems S-300 have made launches at real targets – cruise missiles launched from the strategic bombers Tu-95MS. The task was complicated, because the targets were flying at extra-low altitudes,” Gordeyev said. “Meanwhile, the Air Defence Troops were waging the fire at various types of air targets moving at various altitudes and with various speeds and drilled the fire on ground targets,” he said.
The air defence missile systems Buk and Osa were involved in the military exercises.
“The launch units coped successfully with their tasks, hitting the targets and got positive assessments,” according to the command of the military exercises, the chief press officer said.
Meanwhile, the air defence forces of the Eastern Military District also had the task “to be ready to destroy the North Korean rocket Unha-3 in case of its deviation from the trajectory and the flight over the Russian territory,” a source in the headquarters of the Eastern Military District told Itar-Tass on Friday.
On April 6, Commander of the Air Defence Missile Troops of the Russian Air Force Maj. Gen. Viktor Gumennoy told reporters that Russian radars “have sufficient possibilities to detect the launches of rockets that are made in neighbouring countries.” “Our troops cover Russian territory on most probable directions of the test-launches of operational tactical and ballistic missiles in the neighbouring states,” Gummenoy stated. “In case of deviation from the trajectory of these missiles or the fallout of their pieces on our territory the air defence missile troops can find them and destroy if necessary,” the general pledged.
Units of the Air Defence Missile Troops, which are deployed in the Khabarovsk and Baikal Territories, were participating in the combat drill. Soon the servicemen from Buryatia, the Primorsky Territory and the Amur Region will replace them on combat positions. The tactical exercises are being held under the combat training schedule of the troops in the Eastern Military District under the command of Commander of the Air Defence Troops and the Air Force in the region Maj. Gen. Sergei Zhmurin.