Baltic Fleet Deployments - Wk 49/2020

December 01

The repair vessel PM-82, which serves the role of a floating workshop, has left the port of Baltiysk, Kaliningrad, for a deployment in the Mediterranean. The vessel is deployed in order to support the Russian surface warships and submarines operating in the Mediterranean. It will be the fifth deployment of the PM-82 in three years time. [1] [2]
The fact that PM-82 is deployed towards the Mediterranean shows that the Russian base in Tartus serves more as an logistic hub rather then a developed naval base. PM-82 allows for repairs to be conducted that cannot be done in Tartus as specialized equipment and workshops are unavailable there. These are most likely repair and maintenance of more complex machinery and weapon systems.
Deployment of the PM-82 prevents the need of having these parts being flown back towards Russia and being brought to specialized workshops. Ships like PM-82 can therefore reduce repair times in Tartus and prevent either expensive transport of limited spare parts or the need for a warship to leave the Mediterranean and head back to their main naval base.

December 02

The Russian ministry of defense announced that Steregushchy class corvette RFS Boikiy passed the Great Belt and transited back into the Baltic Sea. The corvette is heading back to its main naval base after completing several naval exercises in the Atlantic Ocean. These exercises included an anti-submarine exercise together with its shipborne Ka-27 helicopter on November 26 and mutual training with Northern Fleet Udaloy class destroyer RFS Kulakov on November 27. [3] The vessel also conducted an anti-surface warfare exercise, during which she did an electronic launch of her Uran anti-ship cruise missiles. [4]



December 03

Over 50 warships and support vessels docked in Baltiysk and Kronstadt started their so-called K-1 training tasks. The K-1 training course involve training of the crew and prepare both the crew and ship before starting training at sea. K-1 provide the basics needed by the crew to ensure a safe navigation and organization of the ships duty such as damage control exercises while moored in the harbor and provide counter-sabotage watches. [5]
The training course is necessary as the Baltic Fleet is undergoing a transition as older conscripts are being discharged and new conscripts arrive on the ships. These new conscripts need to be be trained in the basics before the vessels can be deployed safely at sea. No end date for the K-1 training course was specified, suggesting that ship crews will finish the K-1 course on an individual basis.

December 04

Neustrashimyy class frigate RFS Yaroslav Mudry held a combat exercise at the training areas in the Baltic Sea. The exercise had the frigate engage in anti-surface and anti-air warfare with the ship engaging simulated hostile surface and air targets. During the exercise, the ship carried out electronic launches of its Uran anti-ship cruise missile system. The vessel also held electronic warfare, damage control and navigation exercises. [6]

The first military plane carrying 3,000 Russian COVID-19 vaccines has arrived in Kaliningrad to start vaccinating service members. The first in line to be vaccinated are medical personnel, servicemen on alert, the crews of ships scheduled for a long voyage and the command staff of the Baltic Fleet. [7]

December 06

An air-defense exercise was held in the Kaliningrad which involved the use of the S-400 air defense missile system. Su-27 fighter aircraft and Mi-8 helicopters simulated a hostile airstrike which was tracked and to be engaged once it entered Russian airspace. The crews of the S-400 systems performed electronic launches once they had their target data and the aircraft entered Russian airspace. Russian sources did not report how many S-400 missile systems were involved in the exercise. [8]

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