Arctic brigade of Russia's Northern Fleet performs first amphibious operation on Kotelny Island
SEVEROMORSK. Sept 15 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian Northern Fleet's large assault ships Georgy Pobedonosets and Kondopoga, which reached the New Siberian Islands on Monday, have conducted an amphibious operation on the coast of Kotelny Island as part of drills, the fleet's spokesman Captain 1st Rank Vadim Serga told Interfax-AVN on Tuesday.
"The exercises were coordinated by Northern Fleet Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Viktor Sokolov. It was the first time units of the Northern Fleet's Arctic brigade had taken part in an amphibious operation. The simulated amphibious operation on an unequipped coast began with the support of ship-based aircraft. Two [Kamov] Ka-27 ship-based helicopters were scrambled from the large anti-submarine ship Severomorsk to airlift forward landing groups to the western coast of Kotelny Island," Serga said.
The large assault ship Georgy Pobedonosets then joined the simulated operation, he said.
Its crew was the first to take the landing operation area using defense methods and then successfully unload the personnel, hardware and other assets there.
Afterwards, the large assault ship Kondopoga successfully conducted its amphibious operation on the coast of Kotelny Island as well. Following a simulated fight in the landing operation area and measures to consolidate their positions, the Arctic brigade's units moved inland towards the venue in order to deploy their camp on Kotelny Island.
The amphibious operation on an unequipped coast of Kotelny Island involved more than 230 personnel from the Arctic brigade and 30 wheel-mounted and caterpillar hardware, including TTM-4902PS-10 all-terrain two-section caterpillar snow and swamp-going vehicles and MT-LBV multirole tractor trucks, Serga said. Four-wheelers recently received by the Arctic brigade will be tested for the first time in the harsh environment of the Arctic Ocean islands.
"As the unit of the Northern Fleet's ships stays off the New Siberian Islands, the Northern Fleet crews will also have to hold drills of different types of forces to guard the island area and Russia's seashore in the Arctic," Serga added.