Russian patrol vessel conducting exercise with Japanese destroyer in Arabian Sea
MOSCOW. Jan 20 (Interfax) - The Russian patrol vessel Yaroslav Mudry has arrived in the Arabian Sea for joint exercises with a Japanese destroyer, the Russian Baltic Fleet press service said.
"A group of Baltic Fleet ships including the Yaroslav Mudry patrol vessel, the Yelnya tanker, and the Viktor Konetsky seagoing tug has arrived at the planned point in the Arabian Sea to conduct a joint exercise with the destroyer JS Harusame of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF)," it said.
The exercise will last for two days, and its active phase is scheduled for January 21.
"The Russian and Japanese ships and vessels will practice communication and maneuvering, including at nighttime, the inspection and liberation of a vessel seized by simulated pirates, and the landing on vessels' decks," the Baltic Fleet said.
The exercise command will gather on board the Japanese destroyer today to plan details of the maneuvers.
"This exercise between Baltic Fleet and JMSDF ships will be conducted for the first time," it said.
The Yaroslav Mudry is a modern Russian multirole vessel commissioned for the Baltic Fleet in 2009. It is designed, in particular, for tracking and destroying submarines, providing anti-ship and anti-submarine defense for warships and vessels at sea, striking ships and vessels at sea and at their bases, and providing support for ground and amphibious landing operations.
The ship is armed with modern weapons including an anti-ship missile system, short-range and medium-range air defense missile systems, and an RBU-6000 rocket launcher.
The ship has a helipad for Ka-27 helicopters capable of launching anti-submarine torpedoes, missiles, and deep-water bombs.