Black Sea Fleet deployments-Wk50/2021

Weekly Brief

It appears that the Improved Kilo class submarines RFS Veliky Novgorod and RFS Stary Oskol have received a large intake of recruits and are starting to train the basics. The description of the L-1 submarine course suggest that the very basics drills on board of submarine are being thought before the vessel is ready to depart from port. It is very likely that these new crews were also the ones who took part in the training of how to escape submarines during emergencies. This course took place on December 01 in Week 48.



Exercises

December 14
The crews of the Improved Kilo class submarines RFS Veliky Novgorod and RFS Stary Oskol have started the L-1 training course. The L-1 course focusses on preparing the vessel to go to sea, loading ammunition, organizing security when moored and working out the calculation required for diving, surfacing and launching missiles [1].

December 16
Naval aviation aircraft and a Bastion coastal missile defense system were involved in a naval warfare exercise against a simulated enemy surface vessel, played by the RFS Ladny. Four Su-30SM fighter aircraft and two Su-24M bombers trained missile strikes and bombing runs against the surface vessel. In the second phase of the exercise, a Bastion missile defense system tracked the warship and worked out a firing solution followed by an electronic launch [2].

Rescue tug SB-36 was observed around 0340Z between Feodosia and Opuk. The vessel is towing a target behind it, possibly for a naval gunnery exercise [3].

December 17
A small sized amphibious landing exercise took place at the Opuk training ground with marines disembarking from the Ropucha class landing vessel RFS Novocherkassk. The vessel also organized air defense and held communication and damage control exercises [4] [5]
It is unclear if the marines embarked were the same as the ones involved in embarkation exercises at Sevastopol on December 06.

Grisha class anti-submarine corvettes RFS Suzdalets and RFS Kasimov were involved in a naval gunnery exercise [6]. The exercise is part of a three-day combat training exercises aimed to protect the waters around the Novorossiysk naval base. The vessels are also scheduled to train in air-defense [7].

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