KALININGRAD, July 14. /TASS/. The crews of Ka-27 and Mi-24 helicopters of the Baltic Fleet’s naval aviation practiced eliminating a simulated enemy’s submarines and land troops during drills in Russia’s westernmost Kaliningrad Region, the Fleet’s press office reported on Thursday.
The drills involved over 20 crews and more than 10 gunships, it specified.
"Over 20 crews of shipborne Ka-27 anti-submarine warfare and Mi-24 strike helicopters from a composite helicopter regiment of a naval aviation unit exercised to conduct air reconnaissance, hunt down and destroy a hypothetical enemy’s submarines at the Baltic Fleet’s naval ranges, provide fire support to the army corps’ units, eliminate manpower, light armored and motor vehicles," the press office said in a statement.
During the flights to employ air-launched weapons, the helicopter crews hunted down submarines using dipping sonars, dropped practice anti-submarine and orienting naval air bombs, conducted fire from UPK-23-250 multi-purpose cannon containers outfitted with 23mm twin-barrel automatic aviation guns and practiced elements of maneuvering in an air combat and bombing runs on targets under the enemy’s active air defenses and jamming, the press office specified.
"Overall, about 80 sorties were conducted to employ weapons against naval and ground practice ranges. The naval aviation pilots accomplished their combat training tasks both in the daytime and at night," it said.
The Mi-24 was engineered by the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and is among the most renowned helicopters in its class. It is designed to address a broad range of tasks in planning and conducting combat operations.
The Ka-27 is a deck-based anti-submarine warfare helicopter designed to detect, track and destroy enemy submarines operating at depths of up to 500 meters and accelerating to speeds of 75 km/h in the areas of their search located at a distance of up to 200 km from the carrier ship in rough seas of 5 points day and night in any weather conditions.