Фото: Олег Некало, «Ваяр»
Belarusian military personnel practiced detecting and destroying aerial targets at one of the ranges and airfields in Russia as part of an operational-tactical exercise. The practical stage took place from Sept. 8 to 10, the Belarusian Defense Ministry reported.
Anti-aircraft missile units, aviation and radio-technical troops took part in the live-fire exercises. S-300PS air defense missile crews conducted live firing, while Yak-130 and Su-30SM crews practiced engaging aerial targets.
Specialized high-speed systems simulating, among other things, small-sized targets were used as targets for anti-aircraft missile and aviation units. According to Air Force and Air Defense Commander Andrei Lukyanovich, pilots worked against such targets for the first time.
The anti-aircraft gunners and aviators carried out their tasks with the support of a radio-technical troops unit.
For the first time, female service members performed tasks as part of air defense units. One of the crews consisted of cadets from the Air Defense Faculty of the Military Academy of Belarus, including three women. According to a preliminary assessment by the command, the anti-aircraft missile and radio-technical troops received a rating of “excellent,” while aviation received a rating of “good.”
“During the first stage, which took place in the Republic of Belarus from Aug. 25 to 28, we worked on practical aspects of overcoming the enemy’s air defense system and carrying out air strikes against ground targets. We also practiced the destruction of means of air attack. The second stage took place at one of the ranges and airfields in the Russian Federation from Sept. 8 to 10.
The main tasks assigned to our air crews and combat crews were detecting, tracking and engaging aerial targets. The focus was on countering means of air attack. Emphasis was placed on countering unmanned aerial vehicles and precision-guided cruise missiles,” Lukyanovich said.
“According to a preliminary assessment, the anti-aircraft missile troops and radio-technical troops received a rating of ‘excellent,’ while aviation received a rating of ‘good.’ Twenty-two aerial targets were destroyed. In addition, we conducted training with mobile fire groups to destroy unmanned aerial vehicles.
As commander, I checked the readiness of the aviation, anti-aircraft missile and radio-technical troops to work jointly against aerial targets. All exercise objectives were achieved. An analysis will be conducted using objective monitoring data, and an objective assessment of all crews and combat teams will be provided later,” he added.
The air defense exercise was held from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10. The first stage took place in Belarus from Aug. 25 to 28, and the second in Russia from Sept. 8 to 10.