SEVASTOPOL, March 26. /TASS/. The crews of the small anti-submarine warfare ships Suzdalets and Kasimov practiced striking a notional enemy’s missiles over the Black Sea during drills held jointly with the combat team of the Utyos silo-based coastal defense missile system, the Black Sea Fleet’s press office reported on Friday.
"In accomplishing training maneuvers at sea, the personnel of the missile and artillery combat units of the small anti-submarine warfare ships Suzdalets and Kasimov detected and locked on an air target simulated by a Progress missile fired against a notional enemy by the combat team of the Utyos coastal defense missile system. At a destruction range, the missile was struck by the Osa-M surface-to-air missile system operational on the small anti-submarine warfare ships," the press office said in a statement.
The air target was eliminated by the launch of four missiles from the OSA-M surface-to-air missile systems operational on both warships, the statement says.
The Black Sea naval range where the missile firings were held was closed for shipping to ensure security. Over 15 combat ships and support vessels of the Black Sea Fleet dealt with the tasks of closing the area for shipping, the press office said.
The Utyos silo-based coastal defense system is armed with P-35 Progress anti-ship cruise missiles. The system was developed by the Research and Production Association of Machine-Building in Reutov in the Moscow Region (part of Tactical Missiles Corporation). The P-35 anti-ship cruise missile has an operating range of 460 km.