Russian Black Sea Fleet’s warships repel enemy air attack in drills.

The crews of several Black Sea Fleet warships held air defence drills at sea, the Fleet’s press office reported on Thursday. The notional enemy’s aircraft dropped SAB-250 illumination bombs that served as targets.

Russia’s Orekhovo-Zuyevo missile corvette (Picture source: TASS)

"The crews of the small missile ships Vyshny Volochyok and Orekhovo-Zuyevo and the missile boats Ivanovets and R-60 of the Black Sea Fleet held air defence drills with a joint live-fire exercise against air targets at naval combat training ranges," the press office said in a statement.

Under the drills’ scenario, the surface strike group was accomplishing missions to counter a notional enemy’s warships in the Black Sea. During the sea transit, the crews of the shipborne air defence posts spotted the notional enemy’s aircraft simulated by Su-30SM planes from the Fleet’s naval aviation.

The Black Sea Fleet’s warships readied their air defence capabilities and activated electronic warfare and visual camouflage means.

The notional enemy’s aircraft dropped SAB-250 illumination bombs that served as targets. The air defence teams of the small missile ships and missile boats detected, identified and locked on the targets and, as soon as the targets came within the striking distance, destroyed them by anti-aircraft artillery fire, the Black Sea Fleet’s press office said.

The Black Sea Fleet is the fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea. The fleet traces its history to its founding by Prince Potemkin on May 13, 1783. The Russian SFSR inherited the fleet in 1918; with the founding of the Soviet Union in 1922 it became part of the Soviet Navy. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 the Russian Federation inherited the Black Sea Fleet and most of its vessels.

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