The air forces and air defense troops of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan held a large military exercise at firing range of Russia’s air defense missile forces on the Ashuluk training grounds in the Astrakhan Region.
The air forces and air defense troops of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan held a large military exercise at firing range of Russia’s air defense missile forces on the Ashuluk training grounds in the Astrakhan Region.
According to a Defense Ministry spokesman, during the three-day exercise troops “practiced air reconnaissance using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), with data relayed in real time, while missile and bombing strikes were delivered against targets.”
Troops also practiced breaching and suppressing a hostile air defense, breaching air defenses in the course of a pre-emptive airstrike, and repelling a massive missile strike with air defense weapons.”
About 40 aircraft were involved in the exercise, including Su-24M, Su-25SM, Su-27, Tu-22M3, and MiG-29 planes, Mi-24 helicopters, and UAV. The ground-based air defense task force consisted of four S-300 PM/PS surface-to-air missile battalions with two Pantsyr-S SAM systems mounted on wheeled vehicles.
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© RIA Novosti . Valery Melnikov
The large exercise is being held as part of an aerial weapons conference, which meets once every two years. The conference is organized to review the previous drill’s results and examine the training level of air defense missile units and, separately, of aviation units.
The conference should also result in suggestions for joint training of all services and branches.
The same activities are carried out on ground force training ranges.
The exercise is being conducted at a multi-service center set up for the training of air force and air defense units. The center’s measuring systems and other computer facilities enable real-time, quality assessment of the training level of personnel.
The results of the exercise will be used to draw up recommendations for planning combat operations by air-space defense (ASD) brigades withdrawn from fighter aviation, and for organizing the training of troops.
A serviceman preparing for the redeployment of an S-300 air defense missile system during the large exercise for Russian, Belarusian and Kazakh air force and air defense troops.
An operator works at a plotting board at the exercise command center during the exercise for Russian, Belarusian and Kazakh air force and air defense troops.
A radar station used during the exercise for Russian, Belarusian and Kazakh air force and air defense troops.
