Russian air defense troops to conduct major drills in August

A major field exercise involving antiaircraft defense troops of Russia’s Southern Military District will be conducted at the Kapustin Yar and Ashuluk ranges in the Astrakhan region in August, the district’s press service reported on Wednesday.

“Personnel and equipment of the tactical air defense units of the Southern Military District have begun to arrive in the Astrakhan region at the Kapustin Yar and Ashuluk ranges to take part in the district’s air defense and aviation force maneuvers in late summer. More than 1,500 troops and some 700 units of armaments and military equipment will arrive by special trains from the republics of Crimea, Dagestan, North Ossetia – Alania, Agydeya, from the Volgograd region and Stavropol and Krasnodar territories to the points of disembarkation before the end of July,” the military reported.

The active phase of the field exercise will take place at the last stage – from August 31 to September 4, during which the troops will have fire control drills and field firing exercises from all types of weapons under simulated combat conditions. “Tactical aviation aircraft will make more than 100 sorties to act as simulated enemy,” the press service said.

During the field exercise the anti-aircraft gunners will drill covering of troops and vital facilities from simulated enemy’s air attacks. Air defence units will drill firing from the Igla man-portable surface-to-air missile systems, Tunguska anti-aircraft missile and gun systems, Shilka self-propelled, radar guided anti-aircraft weapon systems, as well as the Strela-10, Tor and Osa air defence missile systems.

The Southern Military District sources said that tactical, special and technical training will take 90% of the field exercise’s time. The troops will practice combat vehicle driving during the rest of the time. The combat drills will take 10 hours daily.