Russian Black Sea Fleet’s aviation division conducts sea and air drills, Interfax reports

(Reuters) – The aviation division of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet conducted drills carrying out combat sorties over the Black Sea to search for and destroy unmanned aerial and sea targets, Interfax news agency reported on Monday, citing Russian defence ministry.

“The combat mission tasks were conducted in the dark, at different altitudes and included crews climbing into the stratosphere to an altitude of over 13,000 meters (8 miles),” the agency cited the ministry as saying.

The navy assault aviation regiment and the air defence of the Black Sea Fleet were involved in the drills, using the Sukhoi Su-30SM twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft, Interfax reported.

The Su-30M is designed to gain air superiority, block enemy airfields at great depth, destroy air, land and sea targets, including at night and in difficult meteorological conditions, Intefax reported.

Russia’s armed forces have been heavily stretched on land and sea for the past two and a half years by its war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces, despite being vastly outgunned in naval firepower, have managed to inflict damaging blows on the Black Sea Fleet, which has its principal base in the port of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)