Watching Russian Air & Sea Activity

[ganulv]

Hey Matt,

All jokes aside, our USN marine mammal program at approx. $750,000 for a week is, in addition to being expensive, works.

An oceanographic survey while more precise, may not render the same results.

Have to see a team once to actually believe it.

Oh, I don’t doubt it for a second. I just like the Gervais clip.

There must be something about the word “dolphin” that makes people tune out. I met a marine biologist once who told me he “conducts research on charismatic marine megafauna.” I asked him what that meant, and he said, “I work with dolphins. Usually people don’t want to admit they don’t know what ‘charismatic marine megafauna’ are, and they just shake their heads and look impressed. But if I tell them ‘dolphins’ straight away they don’t take me seriously.”

[Stan]

Admittedly, had I not been part of the program for several years as a translator, I would not have had the slightest clue what megafauna meant

Happy Good Friday, and Easter too !

Regards, Stan

Oh, I don’t doubt it for a second. I just like the Gervais clip.

There must be something about the word “dolphin” that makes people tune out. I met a marine biologist once who told me he “conducts research on charismatic marine megafauna.” I asked him what that meant, and he said, “I work with dolphins. Usually people don’t want to admit they don’t know what ‘charismatic marine megafauna’ are, and they just shake their heads and look impressed. But if I tell them ‘dolphins’ straight away they don’t take me seriously.”

[ganulv]

Happy Good Friday, and Easter too!

Thanks, and to you, too! During my stints in Latin America I got used to Good Friday being the holiday, so that’s a good thing to hear today.

[Stan]

Thanks, and to you, too! During my stints in Latin America I got used to Good Friday being the holiday, so that’s a good thing to hear today.

Yep, all of Europe is off today. I may in fact be the only Roman Catholic in Estonia and working

[AdamG]

The tense East-West standoff in Ukraine could reach a new level of escalation: underwater. According to a report from the Russian newspaper Izvestia, the United States Navy's marine mammal unit will be deployed to the Black Sea this summer, where American dolphins and sea lions could find themselves nose-to-nose with their Russian counterparts.

The paper reports that according to a statement by Tom LaPuzza, spokesman for the US Navy's marine mammals program, twenty dolphins and ten sea lions will be in the Black Sea for one-to-two weeks this summer, conducting NATO exercises in a body of water that is traditionally been dominated by the Russian navy.

http://news.yahoo.com/russian-americ...141812435.html

[AdamG]

ISTANBUL — A Russian warship passed Sunday through Turkey's Çanakkale (Dardanelles) strait, possibly to the Black sea. The navy ship, named 'PM 56,' was being accompanied by Turkish coast guard boats during its crossing.

The vessel was apparently heading towards the Marmara Sea, but no information has been acquired as to its final destination.

http://www.dailysabah.com/nation/201...turkeys-strait

Note: 10 seconds of OSINT said that the PM56 is an Amur class floating workshop, homeported at Sevastopol.

See
http://wikimapia.org/20481303/PM-56-...ating-workshop
and
http://warshipsonthebosphorus.blogsp...pair-ship.html

Folks playing at home will find this blog of interest -
http://warshipsonthebosphorus.blogsp...&max-results=6


As well as
http://turkishnavy.net/

18 Apr 2014 6 Comments

Yesterday, on 17 April 2014, 3 Ropucha class landing ships have made a southbound passage trough Bosphorus. Either Mr. Assad is in dire need for Russian supplies and weapons or this is a diversion attempt from the Ukrainian crises.

and

The list of Russian warship movements in 2014:
Date Number Name Direction
02/01/14 016 Georgiy Pobedonosets Northbound
02/01/14 156 Yamal Northbound
18/01/14 016 Georgiy Pobedonosets Southbound
18/01/14 151 Azov Southbound
27/01/14 102 Kaliningrad Southbound
01/02/14 016 Georgiy Pobedonosets Northbound
01/02/14 151 Azov Northbound
07/02/14 810 Smetlivy Northbound
10/02/14 016 Georgiy Pobedonosets Southbound
10/02/14 151 Azov Southbound
20/02/14 150 Saratov Southbound
20/02/14 156 Yamal Southbound
26/02/14 102 Kaliningrad Northbound
26/02/14 127 Minsk Northbound
04/03/14 150 Saratov Northbound
04/03/14 156 Yamal Northbound
23/03/14 012 Olenegorskiy Gorniak Southbound
23/03/14 102 Kaliningrad Southbound
23/03/14 127 Minsk Southbound
03/04/14 012 Olenegorskiy Gorniak Northbound
03/04/14 102 Kaliningrad Southbound
10/04/14 150 Saratov Southbound
10/04/14 156 Yamal Southbound

I have archived the list of the Russian ship movements in 2013.

[AdamG]

A Russian intelligence-gathering ship has been operating off the U.S. East Coast and near the Gulf of Mexico for the past month, the Pentagon said Thursday.

“We are aware that the Russian ships Viktor Leonov and Nikolay Chiker are currently operating in waters that are beyond U.S. territorial seas but near Cuba,” said Lt. Col. Tom Crosson, a Pentagon spokesman. “We respect the freedom of all nations, as reflected in international law, to operate military vessels beyond the territorial seas of other nations.”

The Leonov is an intelligence gathering ship outfitted with high-tech electronic spying gear. The Chiker is an ocean-going naval tug that has been accompanying the spy ship on its mission.

http://freebeacon.com/national-secur...ting-near-u-s/

For Memory Refresher, see
http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...4&postcount=17

[AdamG]

The Royal Navy has sent a Portsmouth-based warship to track a Russian naval vessel as it approached British waters, it has been revealed.

HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer, tracked and met up with the Vice Admiral Kulakov, a large Russian destroyer, as it sailed past the UK.

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/def...ters-1-6017646

Dragon deployed from Portsmouth last week to pre-position well north of Scotland in good time to respond to the Udaloy-Class destroyer’s deployment. She made contact with the Kulakov and is keeping an eye on the Russian ship’s transit south.

http://www.marinelink.com/news/milit...ish367789.aspx

[davidbfpo]

AdamG,

The occassional RN deployment to our northern waters to "meet & greet" a Russian vessel sometimes gets media coverage. We no longer have any maritime patrol aircraft, so a ship is sent.

IIRC last year and early this year a larger Russian vessel appeared and no RN warship was despatched until too late. It may even have anchored during a storm near UK territorial waters. The UK claims a twelve mile limit (except in a few places). Search Google on russian warship moray firth.

A lot of this activity is media hype, for many reasons, but to my knowledge none of the scrambled aircraft and ships actually respond to a Russian plane or ship actually in UK territorial waters.

[AdamG]

AdamG,
A lot of this activity is media hype, for many reasons, but to my knowledge none of the scrambled aircraft and ships actually respond to a Russian plane or ship actually in UK territorial waters.

Dave,

I think most folks - particularly those with a passing familiarity of OSINT - hanging out here can read past the media hype, particularly when it comes to the sewage pumped out by the UK and American hacks.

Between the Russian intel trawler now of the coast of Georgia (USA), the game of peekaboo with the Tupolevs and the incident you reference, we're seeing a pattern.

Of course they're testing Oceania's reaction responses and times, as well good training for their own crews.

With the Ukraine drama of late, Putin & his Kremlin buddies are just pressing home the message that they're a player on the stage - not so much to White Hall, the Pentagon & DC, but more to the rest of the world.

Enjoy that Peace Dividend.

Andre has a red flag, Chiang Ching's is blue
They all have hills to fly them on except for Lin Tai Yu
Dressing up in costumes, playing silly games
Hiding out in tree-tops shouting out rude names

[AdamG]

Read between the lines.

Karachi: Two Russian navy ships have arrived at Karachi port on a first-ever goodwill visit to Pakistan for a naval exercise, signalling warming of bilateral relations.

During their stay, various training activities and discussions on maritime security will be held between Pakistani and Russian naval officers.

The Russian ships will also conduct passage exercise with Pakistan Navy's vessels, state-media reported.

The Russian flotilla is being led by Rear Admiral Dmitrieve Vladimir Alexandrovich, according to a statement by the Pakistan Navy.

Pakistan and Russia have historically been on opposite sides since the Cold War, when Islamabad supported the anti-Soviet Mujahideen in neighbouring Afghanistan against invading Russian troops in the 1980s.

Russia has also been traditionally close to India and is a major defence supplier for the Indian military.

http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/...an_925962.html

[AdamG]

"Anti-Drug Drills". Alrighty then.

MOSCOW, April 29 (RIA Novosti) – Two Russian navy ships, together with forces from Nicaragua and Honduras, have taken part in anti-narcotics naval exercises in the Caribbean, a spokesman for Russia’s Northern Fleet said Tuesday.

“The exercises focused on joint efforts to stop organized criminal groups and cut drug smuggling channels in territorial waters of Latin American states,” Northern Fleet spokesman Capt. 2nd Rank Yevgeny Kirillov said.

Russia sent a Vishnya-class intelligence ship, the Viktor Leonov, and the Nikolay Chiker support vessel to the exercises.

http://en.ria.ru/military_news/20140...Caribbean.html

Russia's navy has launched snap military exercises involving its fleet in the Caspian Sea, a news report said.

The drill will last seven days and involve about 10 naval vessels and 400 sailors, the Defence Ministry said, Interfax reported. The Caspian Sea is bordered by Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, and the region is crisscrossed by oil and natural gas pipelines.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/a...ea/498788.html

On Wednesday, China announced that it plans to hold joint naval drills with Russia in the East China Sea later this month.

“These drills are regular exercises held by China and Russia’s navies, and the purpose is to deepen practical cooperation between the two militaries, to raise the ability to jointly deal with maritime security threats,” China’s Defense Ministry said in a statement published on its website.

Voice of America reports that the joint naval drills will be held in late May off the coast of Shanghai. This is significantly north of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands that have been the source of ongoing tensions between Japan and China in recent years. Russia also has an ongoing territorial dispute with Japan over the Kuril Islands located even further north off the far eastern coast of Russia.

http://thediplomat.com/2014/05/china...ast-china-sea/

[Stan]

From the International Business Times comes the following...

A Soviet-era bomber aircraft "in very good condition" has been put up for sale on the internet auction site eBay, with a starting price of only $3m (£1.8m).

What a sweet deal indeed, with "just over 454 hours of the 5,000 hours it is capable of" you could own this thing with world renowned reputation of "one of the noisiest aircraft in the world, with the roar of its propellers reportedly detectable by the hydrophones of submerged submarines".

[AdamG]

From the International Business Times comes the following...



What a sweet deal indeed, with "just over 454 hours of the 5,000 hours it is capable of" you could own this thing with world renowned reputation of "one of the noisiest aircraft in the world, with the roar of its propellers reportedly detectable by the hydrophones of submerged submarines".

Why does this sound like the beginning of an ARCHER episode?: the bad guys buy an ex-Soviet bomber off of ebay...

[AdamG]

Heh. Ya don't say?

WASHINGTON (AP) — The commander of U.S. air forces in the Pacific is reporting a significant increase in activities by Russian planes and ships in the region.

Gen. Herbert Carlisle linked that to the situation in the Ukraine. He said Russia was demonstrating its capabilities and gathering intelligence on U.S. military exercises.

Carlisle said there had been long-range Russian air patrols to the coast of California and a circumnavigation of the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam. He said a U.S. F-15 fighter jet intercepted a Russian strategic bomber that had flown to Guam.

http://news.yahoo.com/us-russian-pla...dTahwAWzvQtDMD

[AdamG]

Sailors on board HMS Dragon are still keeping a watchful eye on Russian naval vessels, after a seven-strong task group has entered the English Channel.

The Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer has been monitoring the movements of the group, which is being led by the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov.

As well as the Kuznetsov, the task group includes: the Kirov-class nuclear-powered battle cruiser Pyotr Velikiy; tankers; Segey Osipov, Kama and Dubna; one ocean-going tug Altay and the landing support ship Minsk.

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/def...roup-1-6047308

[wm]

Interesting story on the Admiral Kuznetsov from War is Boring https://medium.com/war-is-boring/c4ed4afff987 I also understand that the ship was scheduled for major refit this year. Perhaps it is on the way to Sebastopol for that purpose. Any insight as to what aircraft may be on board?

[AdamG]

Stopped by to post the following, oddly related to the Kuznetsov.

Wikipedia (FWIW) say the Kuznetsov has 41–52 aircraft.

Fixed Wing;
14 × Su-33 fighters (current)
28 × MiG-29K fighters
(planned after refit)
4 × Sukhoi Su-25UTG/UBP aircraft
Rotary Wing;
4 × Kamov Ka-27LD32 helicopters
11 × Kamov Ka-27PLO helicopters
2 × Kamov Ka-27S helicopters

Washington (AFP) - US officials voiced concern Thursday at the sale of French warships to Moscow as they mulled tougher sanctions on Russia for the political upheaval triggered by the Ukraine crisis.

The first of two Mistral warships is not due to be delivered to Russia until later this year, and France has so far resisted pressure to suspend the controversial $1.2 billion contract.

The Mistral is an advanced helicopter assault ship and France's 2011 agreement to sell them to Russia already triggered protests from the United States and other NATO allies.

The first, named the Vladivostok, is due to be delivered in October, while the second, "The Sebastopol" is to be delivered in 2015 and stationed with the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the Crimea -- annexed by Moscow in March.

http://news.yahoo.com/us-voices-conc...181201334.html

[AdamG]

Time to update your OOBs, kids.

MOSCOW, May 13 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian Black Sea Fleet will have a sophisticated network of naval and airbases in Crimea following the region’s reunification with Russia, the country's chief naval commander said Tuesday.

*
According to Chirkov, Russia will deploy warships not only in Sevastopol, but also in Feodosia and Donuzlav, while stationing combat aircraft near Yevpatoria and in Belbek.

http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/731456

MOSCOW, May 13. /ITAR-TASS/. The Russian Black Sea fleet will receive 30 new modern warships of various classes and support ships under a naval construction programme in the next six years, Admiral Viktor Chirkov, the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, said on Tuesday on the occasion of the 231st anniversary of creation of the Russian Black Sea fleet.

“This is not the case of any ungrounded naval buildup. These are the long-standing needs of the Russian Black Sea fleet which has not seen renovation for years,” the commander-in-chief told journalists.

The Black Sea Fleet will receive more than 86 billion rubles (around $2.3 billion) for its development by 2020, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu earlier said.

http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/731456

See also
http://defendingrussia.ru/upload/ima...72e02d13ff.jpg

[AdamG]

"We have always been at war with Eurasia... EastAsia... EastAsia and Eurasia."

China and Russia started a week-long naval exercise in the politically sensitive East China Sea yesterday.

Chinese and Russian units taking part in the Joint Sea-2014 drill will be combined rather than operating separately during the exercise, the first time the Chinese navy has worked so closely with a foreign maritime force, according to Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie. "The mixed confrontation and drill means the exercises will operate more like a real battle," said Li. "It shows the two countries' strategic partnership has entered a high level of cooperation and coordination, even though both Beijing and Moscow insist they are not military allies."

Macau-based military observer Antony Wong Dong said China and Russia had learned from the example of Western countries' joint naval drills, including Nato, where forces were mixed together. It indicated that trust between Beijing and Moscow was increasing.

The drill, in the northern part of the East China Sea, ends on Monday. Forces including 14 ships, two submarines, nine fixed-wing aircraft and six shipboard helicopters will take part, according to a report on the PLA Navy's website.

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/artic...naval-exercise