SEVASTOPOL, November 7. /TASS/. The air defense team of the Black Sea Fleet’s frigate Admiral Essen held drills to protect a naval base from a notional enemy missile strike, the Fleet’s press ofice reported on Sunday.
Currently, two US warships are operating in the Black Sea: the flagship, command ship Mount Whitney and the guided missile destroyer Porter. The Russian Black Sea Fleet’s forces and capabilities are keeping a close eye on the US warships in the Black Sea. The US 6th Fleet earlier announced that the warships had deployed to the Black Sea for joint operations with NATO allies and partners in the region.
"The crew of the Black Sea Fleet’s frigate Admiral Essen held an exercise to shield a naval base from a notional enemy’s missile strike. Under the scenario of the exercise, the Black Sea Fleet’s command and control center received data on the take-off of a group of enemy planes towards the Crimean Peninsula. A signal about the approaching notional enemy air group was transmitted to all the Fleet’s naval taskforces to effectively apportion the targets. The air defense capabilities aboard the frigate Admiral Essen were also put on high alert," the press office said in a statement.
In the course of the exercise, the frigate’s air defense squad locked on and eliminated the mock enemy’s aircraft by the surface-to-air missile systems designed to protect the ship from all air attack weapons. The targets were simulated electronically by the ships’ armament control systems and notionally eliminated before the enemy aircraft made an approach for an attack, the statement says.
The frigate’s crew also practiced measures for a shipborne Ka-27M anti-submarine warfare helicopter to take off from and land on the deck while the ship was on the move. The exercise was held as part of the Black Sea Fleet’s combat training plan, the press office reported.