SKR Ladnyy Goes to Italy

SKR Ladnyy (Source: flot.sevastopol.info)

The Black Sea Fleet Escort Ship (SKR) Ladnyy to Exercise With Italians in IONIEKS-2008

Last Sunday the SKR Ladnyy departed the main naval base in Sevastopol' and set course for the Black Sea straits. The ship under the command of K2R Aleksandr Shvarts has set sail for the area around the straits for the second time in a month. In August the Russian warship made a port visit to the Turkish Navy base at Akzas-Karaagach on the Mediterranean and afterwards carried out missions in the Black Sea.

In October the SKR Ladnyy will represent the Navy during the bilateral Russian-Italian exercise IONIEX-2008. These exercises have become tradition and are conducted by the two navies every other year.

The Russian ship will make visits to several Italian ports.

There is a Marine detachment on board the SKR. They will guard the ship during port visits.

Comment: It's already been announced that the Peter the Great battlegroup will visit Tartus, Syria. There are more than five weeks until the exercises with Venezuela, which means it is looking more and more likely to me that the Peter the Great will spend October in the Med. We'll see.

Will the Ladnyy join the Peter the Great in South America after the exercises with the Italians? Will the Russian Navy show ship, the Admiral Chabenenko join the Ladnyy for exercises with the Italians? Will the Ladnyy join or relieve the Neustashimyy off the Horn of Africa after the exercises with the Italians?

Lots of questions as more Russian ships go to sea...

First Look - Weekend Edition

Forward to the Med!

The Russian Black Sea Fleet (BSF) Escort Ship (SKR) “Ladnyy” is taking part in joint task force operations in the Mediterranean Sea. Together with the NATO ships, the SKR “Ladnyy”, commanded by Captain 2nd Rank Aleksandr Shvarts, will track ships suspected of participating in terrorism, transporting weapons of mass destruction and means for their delivery, illegal maritime transport of narcotics and other activities. After preparations at base and learning the NATO governing documents, the SKR “Ladnyy” will conduct integration procedures and will be accepted into the order of battle of the Standing NATO Forces Mediterranean.

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It is worth noting that the “Ladnyy” successfully participated in a similar operation last year…


Russian MRKs in Belgium

The crews of two small missile ships (MRK) “Passat” and “Zyb’” met with the permanent Russian representative to NATO Dmitriy Rogozin and the chief military representative to NATO HQ Vice Admiral Valentin Kuznetsov in the port of Zebrugge, Belgium.

The ships arrived in port 28 June and were invited by the Commander in Chief of the Belgian Navy, Admiral Jan-Paul Robins to take part in an international naval festival.



Black Sea Fleet Ships Conduct Exercises at Sea

Tactical training took place in the central regions of the Black Sea under the command of the Black Sea Fleet Chief of Staff Aleksandr Troyan. During the exercises held in the past week, various aspects of the Black Sea Fleet participated including anti-submarine and strike forces, surface ships and aviation. Auxiliary ships supported the exercises.

The Escort Ship “Ladnyy”, small anti-submarine ships “Suzalets”, “Muromets” and “Aleksandrovets”, the small missile ship “Mirazh”, missile cutters and the submarine “Alrosa” performed specific tasks according to a unified plan, including torpedo firings…

Also warships from the strike forces conducted a missile strike on the landing force of a notional enemy, conducted salvage drills on damaged ships and practiced radiological, chemical and biological defense.

Russia Day - The Navy Celebrates

In Sevastopol', the Black Sea Fleet conducted a "maritime parade". Here the Commander of the Black Sea Fleet reviews major combatants including the escort ship "Ladnyy":



The 12th of June is celebrated as "Russia Day", the day in 1990 that Russia declared it's sovereignty from the Soviet Union. One would think that Russia would take it as seriously as we take our Independence Day. One would be wrong. A few years ago, I was part of an official team taking part in a regularly scheduled treaty regulated activity. The Russians scheduled us to be present during "Russia Day" and were shocked when the factory we were visiting shut down for a long five day weekend in honor of "Russia Day". Our Russian hosts had forgotten that "Russia Day" was being celebrated during our activities and we sat around our hotel for a few days and twiddled our thumbs.

Good times, good times....

First Look - 11 June 2008

The Russian Fleet Will Receive New Ships in 2008

The latest tests of the Shchuka Project (Akula 2) SSN at the Amur Shipyard at Komsomol’sk na Amur have been successful.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the boat will be commissioned into the fleet in 2008. According to experts, it will be the fastest and quietest multi-purpose submarine in the fleet.

In addition, the Caspian Sea Flotilla will receive the newest escort ship “Dagestan” and two small landing craft. This is according to the Commander in Chief of the Caspian Sea Flotilla Vice Admiral Vikto Kravchuk, speaking on front of the Makhachkala Brigade of Maritime Security for the Caspian Flotilla region on the occasion of its 25th anniversary.
(See next article for further details.)



The Caspian Sea Flotilla will receive the newest escort ship “Dagestan” and two small landing craft. This is according to the Commander in Chief of the Caspian Sea Flotilla Vice Admiral Vikto Kravchuk, speaking on front of the Makhachkala Brigade of Maritime Security for the Caspian Flotilla region on the occasion of its 25th anniversary.

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The celebration of this anniversary takes place with intensive preparations for the exercise “Caucauses-2008” in the background. According to the Admiral, “Now the ships of the brigade are charged with defense of shipping, supporting maritime commerce, guarding the fishing industry and development of the continental shelf”.

The escort ship “Tartarstan”, built in the Zelenograd Shipyard, was commissioned into the brigade in 2003 as well as the small “Serna” class small landing craft. Earlier, the CinC Russian Navy noted that “Dagestan” will significantly exceed the armament of the “Tartarstan”. The escort ship will perform search, surveillance and destruction of surface, subsurface and air targets. It is equipped with the universal strike missile “Uran”, with a range of 350 km, anti-air and anti-submarine defenses, special devices to detect and destroy torpedoes as well as acoustic detection devices. A Ka-28 or Ka-31 can be based on board.

The “Serna” class small landing craft can transport and land on an unequipped beach 45 tons of military equipment and 92 marines, a greater amount than other classes of landing craft. The “Serna” class is capable of speeds of 30 knots in sea states up to five while delivering a medium T-80 tank to a beach up to 1000km away. Additionally, the “Serna” is capable of getting itself off of bars.




Ships of the Black Sea Fleet (BSF) Will Take Part in International Exercises

Ships of the Russian BSF will participate in international exercises in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, according to K1R Igor’ Dygalo, the press secretary for the Russian Navy.

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He added that the BSF escort ship “Ladnyy” has finished initial preparations for her participation for the second time in “Active Endeavor” in August 2008, a joint NATO anti-terror exercise in the Mediterranean Sea.

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He also said that the Black Sea Maritime Operational Group BLACKSEAFOR is planned for activation in August.

“From the moment of the creation of the BLACKSEAFOR group in 2001, BSF ships have operated with ships from other countries in the Black Sea littoral, carrying out missions with the goal of supporting security and stability.”




Aircraft of the Russian Northern Fleet Carried Out Flights over the Arctic.

Two Northern Fleet Aviation Tu-142 Bear F ASW aircraft carried out a planned flight over the Arctic today…including over the polar regions.