Over 20 Russian Black Sea Fleet warships hold joint drills with aircraft in Crimea

SEVASTOPOL (TASS): Over 20 Black Sea Fleet warships held a joint exercise with the crews of Su-25SM3 attack aircraft of the Southern Military District’s Air Force and Air Defense Army in a final inspection of the Fleet’s forces after the winter training period, the Fleet’s press office reported on Tuesday.

“A naval group comprising the frigates Admiral Makarov and Admiral Essen, the missile corvettes Graivoron and Vyshny Volochyok and also missile boats, small anti-submarine warfare ships and large amphibious assault ships held an exercise to repel a notional enemy’s air attack weapons, using active radio-electronic interference and notionally employing air defense capabilities,” the press office said in a statement.

As the statement says, “three squadrons of the Southern Military District’s attack aircraft held drills to attain positions for an attack, notionally employ missile weapons against a detachment and dodge a retaliatory strike of shipborne air defense systems.”

The pilots conducted flights at extremely low altitudes in complex weather conditions. The exercise was held in compliance with a plan of the final check of the Black Sea Fleet’s forces for the winter training period under a common tactical design of the Southern Military District’s control inspection,” the press office specified.

Earlier, over 50 aircraft of the Southern Military District redeployed to Crimea as part of the control combat readiness check.