MOSCOW, August 05. /ITAR-TASS/. The field drills of army reconnaissance formations have started at seven firing ranges in Southern Federal District on Tuesday.

More than 1.3 thousand servicemen, over 300 units of special military hardware are participating in field drills at firing ranges in Volgograd and Astrakhan regions, Stavropol territory, Russian North Caucasian republics of Adygeya, North Ossetia, Karachay-Cherkessia and Armenia, a country in South Caucasus, the press service of the Southern Military District told ITAR-TASS on Tuesday.

“Reconnaissance scouts are fulfilling firearms drills from different types of arms and organic weapons of military hardware, are holding tactical special and reconnaissance, and combat vehicle driving drills,” Russian military district press service said. “For fire drills from different types of weapons ammunition expenditure was increased from five to seven times, including from special weapons for silence gunfire: sniper rifle Vintorez, assault rifle Val and pistols PSS,” the press service reported.

Drills focus on stronger skills of combating reconnaissance groups, climbing rocks with safeguarding equipment and vertical slopes, roping down, crossing of a water barrier and movement in tow in woody highlands.

Outfits with combat supply which reconnaissance scouts are carrying in performing combat tasks weigh around 40 kilograms.

“At the final stage of field exercises high-ranking officers from the reconnaissance branch of the Southern Military District headquarters will check well-coordinated actions and professional skills of servicemen acting in search and reconnaissance groups and will receive personal tasks according to the scenario of a special operation,” the press service added.

Field military exercises will end on August 27.