YEKATERINBURG, August 27. /TASS/. Large-scale special logistics drills kicked off in Russia’s Central Military District under the command of Deputy Defense Minister Army General Dmitry Bulgakov, the Defense Ministry’s press office reported on Tuesday.

"The drills involve military command centers, logistics troops’ large units, military formations and organizations, more than 30,000 military and civilian personnel of the Central, Western, Southern and Eastern Military Districts and the Airborne Force," the press office said in a statement.

The troops involved in the drills will be accomplishing practical assignments of providing all types of logistic and maintenance support, the deputy defense minister said.

"The assignments of providing technical support for highways and roads, natural barriers and artificial obstacles, deploying motorway sections for aircraft landing, organizing special types of technical and food supplies for the troops’ military services and military branches," the deputy defense minister explained.

During the drills, each service member will gain hands-on experience in a simulated warfare under the designated scenario, improve or get new knowledge, perfect his skills and competences for the guaranteed fulfilment of assigned missions both in every-day activity and in a combat environment, the army general said.

The special military exercise for the logistics support of the Russian Armed Forces will last through August 30. The exercise will focus on improving the forms and the methods of fulfilling a whole set of missions placed upon the logistics forces.

More than 7,000 weapon systems deployed

Over 7,000 weapon systems are deployed in the special large-scale logistics drills that have kicked off in the Central Military District, the deputy defense minister said.

"The drills involve over 7,000 items of armament, military and special hardware, and also up to 90 aircraft and helicopters of Russia’s Aerospace Force and army aviation," the army general specified.

During the drills, the troops will be employing not only new special hardware and equipment operational in the Armed Forces but also promising technical hardware that is considered for delivery in the future, the Defense Ministry noted.

"Thus, during the drills, the troops will be using automated ammunition loading systems, modular container-type chemical analysis laboratories, a multiple aircraft fueling post, an aviation fuel pumping station based on container-type fuel tanks, a system of ship refueling without mooring, the latest field bakery mounted on an automobile platform and other modern equipment for troops’ logistic support in field conditions," the Defense Ministry explained.

The latest models of technical hardware and equipment, which Russian defense contractors are providing for logistics forces on their own initiative, will undergo tests and operational evaluation in field conditions during the drills, the ministry added.