SEVASTOPOL, December 16. /TASS/. The Russian Black Sea Fleet’s aircraft and artillery practiced eliminating a notional enemy warship during scheduled drills in the Black Sea, the Fleet’s press office reported on Thursday.
"Under the scenario of the drills, a notional enemy surface ship with a subversive group on its board was spotted in the Black Sea, the press office said in a statement.
The crew of the guard ship Ladny simulated the enemy warship in the drills. The naval maneuvers involved over 200 personnel, four Su-30SM fighters, two Su-24M frontline bombers and a battalion of Bastion coastal defense anti-ship missile systems, the statement says.
"A group of quick reaction alert aircraft from the Black Sea Fleet’s naval aviation and air defense forces was scrambled to accomplish the task of jointly destroying the target while the teams of Bastion coastal defense anti-ship missile systems stationed on the Crimean Peninsula conducted a march to the missile launch area and readied the missile systems for employment," the press office specified.
At the first stage of the drills, the crews of Su-30SM multirole fighters and Su-24M frontline bombers practiced sorties, delivering training missile and bombing strikes against a surface target. At the second stage, the Bastion teams locked on the mock enemy warship, readied the launchers and practiced an algorithm of measures to deliver missile strikes against the notional target by electronic launches, the statement says.
Russia’s National Defense Control Center reported on December 14 that the French Navy’s frigate Auvergne had entered the Black Sea and the Black Sea Fleet’s forces were tracking its deployments.