Baltic Fleet Deployments - Wk 07/2021

February 15

Around 10 Su-27 fighter aircraft are involved in tactical exercises over the Kaliningrad Region. The exercise includes various stages which include evading an incoming airstrike and relocation to alternate airfields as well as launching missiles against simulated cruise missiles and simulated hostile bomber aircraft. Radiologic, Chemical and Biologic (RBC) teams are reported to be involved as well and they will train in decontamination of airfields. [1]

February 16

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Steregushchy class corvette RFS Boiky and Ropucha class landing vessels RFS Korolev and RFS Minsk held gunnery exercises at the Baltic Sea training grounds. The vessels reportedly engaged surface and aerial targets with their main artillery systems and close in weapon systems.
Following the gunnery exercises, the vessels trained replenishment at sea by taking on supplies from the multipurpose support vessel Alexander Grebenshchikov and the sea tug Anatoly Ptitsyn.
Further exercises involved damage control, protection against RBC attacks and defending the vessel against sabotage while anchored in an unprotected zone. [2]

Su-24 bombers and Su30SM fighter aircraft practiced in air refueling in the skies above the Kaliningrad Region. Fueling took place from an Il-78 tanker aircraft at an altitude of five kilometers. At least three Su-30SM aircraft were seen taking part in this exercise. These aircraft were identified as Blue 71, Blue 73 and Blue 77. [3]

February 18

Rescue tug Prof. Nikolay Muru and an unidentified Kilo class submarine were spotted passing the Great Belt bridge at 1408Z. Both vessels were heading north, out of the Baltic Sea. [4]

February 19

Ten Su-24M bombers and Su-30SM fighter aircraft bombed ground targets as part of an air support exercise in the Kaliningrad Region. Pilots were given a grid area, had to asses the situation on the ground before dropping their DOSAB-100T and P-50T training bombs against simulated targets. Bombing took place from altitudes between 500 and 1.100 meters. The simulated targets represented  command posts, fortifications, enemy troops and equipment . [5]

Around ten Su-27 fighter aircraft held an air warfare exercise over the Baltic Sea. The aircraft engaged small-aircraft sized M6 target which were used to simulate hostile aircraft The pilots were tasked to detect and engage these targets with guide missiles. [6]

Several warships were active on the Baltic Sea training grounds as part of an exercise to defend against hostile warships and missile strikes. The ships involved in the exercise were reported as the Steregushchy class corvette RFS Boiky and RFS Soobrazitelnyy as well as the missile boats Sovetsk, ]Mytishchi, Zeleny Dol, Serpukhov and Passat. [7]

February 21
Over ten pilots have completed air-refueling training in the skies above Kaliningrad. The pilots trained taking on fuel from a Il-78 tanker aircraft at altitudes between 2.000 and 5.000 meters and at speeds between 550 and 600 km/h. [8]

Several vessels were seen on commercial satellite imagery off the roadsted at Baltiysk. These vessels were identified as the Neustrashimy class frigate RFS Yaroslav Mudry, Steregushchy class corvette RFS Boiky and the Project 865 Sibiryakov class research vessel RFS Sibiryakov. [9]

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