Kuznetsov en route to Med

[Gainesy]

The Russian carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and a flotilla of hangers on left the Northern Fleet's base in Severomorsk last Wednesday, deploying to the Med, anybody seen it yet? Typhoon/Su-33 pics anyone?

Or will everybody be in the SWAPs looking for a pair of old queens?:)

[Pontius Navigator]

Ah, that would mean continuous Survops until they passed down into the French AOA. The first sorties coordinated with a take-over with the RNoAF and possibly a detachment to Andoya and a split with the P3Cs from Kef as they transit the gap. Once west of Ireland surveillance chopped to St Mawgan with may be 2-3 jets transfered to SM to bolster 42.

Say 15-20 sorties - 9 aircraft for so. Good flying and quite busy.

Now how many MRA are we getting? How many MR2 have we got at ISK?

[Green Flash]

continuous Survops

- only if the Kuz sails up the Moray Firth, and even then we could be pushing it.

Wonder if the new German P3 sqn will be deployed forward to ISK/SM?? (or even Shannon???)

[camelspyyder]

PN said

Ah, that would mean continuous Survops until they passed down into the French AOA. The first sorties coordinated with a take-over with the RNoAF and possibly a detachment to Andoya and a split with the P3Cs from Kef as they transit the gap. Once west of Ireland surveillance chopped to St Mawgan with may be 2-3 jets transfered to SM to bolster 42.


Yes it would...in 1990

I take it you were joking in the past tense??(15 years past??)

There certainly isnt a P3 presence at Kef, and I think Andoya is out too.
As for 42, I was on the parade when it shut in '92.

I guess this gives the OCU a chance to win the next station photo comp though.

CS

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

In the near words of OC the A-Team; don't you just love it when no plans come together.

[Magnersdrinker]

Brilliant , as always like the cold war time near xmas the ops flying starts and the people can forget xmas holidays :*

I think the russians still hate us for putting Dnipro out of the UEFA cup , wankers !!!

[Navaleye]

Kuz has not been to see in an operational state for some time, she's bearly worth the effort. She'll be in the Med before we crack up foe Christmas.

[Gainesy]

How about the Andrew then?

One of those slim, grey messengers of Cockers Ps? Have we still got one?

Suppose we could borrow the Catalina from Duxford, that, or wait till it pitches up off Lady's Mile and 84 can give it a good looking at.:(

[M609]

and I think Andoya is out too.

Still live and kicking I'm afraid. Same number of P-3 as before.

[Gainesy]

Kuz has not been to see in an operational state for some time

Apart from other things, such as no budget (see, they got NATO-Standard at last), her Jet Blast Deflectors (JBDs) that pop up behind the jets so they can use 'burner to launch, were defective.

One of them blew apart when the pop-down chocks used as hold backs failed. The Su-33 tovarich didn't want to de-select burner in case the hold backs operated as he would have trundled off the end. So he kept full burner in, the JBD's internal water cooling pipes blew and the 'burners then sprayed the flight deck with hot FOD. Which drew FlyCo's attention to his plight with the pop-chocks.

And the crap JBDs.

[Green Flash]

You can put money on that he sorties the Naval Air regiments anyway, as they've allready had a practise. Bears, Blinders and Blackjacks for Xmas Day, lovely.:hmm:
(Blinders? I must be getting old - Backfires. Sorry.)

[Pontius Navigator]

M609, I wasn't clear. I meant a Nimrod landaway in Andoya having covered or to cover the NW.

[Shack37]

Is there time to get the SM gate guardian up to Bodo?

[TheSmiter]

Hey old Navigator type person - don't worry, there are some of us on here that get your irony! V surprised that spider didn't!

Andoya - great place - at least one lady posted from there to ISK on marriage! And often quite lucrative too, as the locals appreciated a wee drop of Speyside's finest :O

Ref Kuz and 'the hangers on', I'm sure for the benefit of the greenies, the Mighty Hunter's carbon footprint will be gratifyingly small, although the RN escort will probably scare them to death :eek:

Oh, and Pontius, stop letting those wannabe's on OASC thread beat you up - most of them can't even read :ugh:

[Gainesy]

Cap'n Dayglo of the Norhern Fleet says the Noggies are on to them:

MOSCOW. Dec 8 (Interfax) - A naval attack group led by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier has performed a number of duties during a tactical exercise, Russian Navy spokesman Cap. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said.

"A naval attack group including the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, the Admiral Levchenko and Admiral Chabanenko anti-submarine ships, and the Sergei Osipov and Nikolai Chiker support ships successfully performed its duties on rebuffing air strikes and ensuring anti-submarine defense during a marine cruise as part of a tactical exercise," Dygalo told Interfax on Saturday.

"Ka-27 helicopters took off from the aircraft carrier" during the exercise, Dygalo said.

"The cruise of the Northern Fleet naval attack group has drawn special attention from the intelligence services and naval forces of the NATO states," he said.

"At 1:40 p.m. Moscow time on December 7, an Orion patrol aircraft of the Norwegian Air Force flew over the naval attack group. A Nordkapp- class frigate of the Norwegian coastguard forces has been escorting the attack group and monitoring its maneuvers over the past two days," Dygalo said.

"The Norwegian ship started escorting and monitoring the Russian warships at about 8:00 p.m. on December 6, and it is currently moving parallel to it 40-50 cable lengths away," he said.

The Russian ships are continuing their planned journey toward the Northeastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

Two support ships, the Lena and the Kola, left the Baltiisk port, the main base of the Russian Baltic Fleet, on December 7 and will soon join the Northern Fleet attack group.

[esa-aardvark]

Anyone know when they will get to the Med and which ports they will call at ?

[ORAC]

Global Research, 27 July 2006:

The decision announced in early June to set up a Russian military base in Syria on the Eastern Mediterranean bears a direct relationship to the war on Lebanon and Israeli ambitions to control militarily the entire Eastern mediterranean coastline.

Russia has begun works in the Syrian port of Tartus seeking to built a full-scale naval base for the ships of the Black Sea Fleet, currently based in Ukraine’s Sevastopol, the Kommersant newspaper reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources in the Defense Ministry and the General Staff of the Russian Navy.

The paper noted that this is the first time Russia is setting up a military base outside the CIS since the fall of the USSR and that the base will allow Moscow to pursue its own line in the Middle East.

Russia has also started work in the port of Latakia in Syria, the newspaper said. The base in Tartus and the new mooring in Latakia will be able to serve the needs of the Black Sea Fleet and possibly the North Sea Fleet as well.

[FrogPrince]

Not too far from the Adriatic either....

:hmm:

[Razor61]

The Carrier group will be visiting 16 ports in 11 countries apparently...but it doesn't tell which.

[Pontius Navigator]

If you count up the countries in the Med and discount Israel it would be a question of which country they are not visiting.

[Pontious]

Anybody thought about keeping a running commentary as to where the Red Fleet is? Would that be allowed? I mean if they know they are being watched by NATO forces what is the harm on posting the info. here? If it's covered by the OSA then I apologise for my naive curiosity.

What would the protocol be for such a large force sailing through the Straits of Gib'?
:ok:

[Green Flash]

What would the protocol be for such a large force sailing through the Straits of Gib'?
See and avoid, I would have thought! Wonder if they've got the burglar alarm on;)

[Pontius Navigator]

Given that the Russian Navy knows where it is then their position can hardly be secret. Mind you HMS Nottingham only thought she knew where she was viz a viz the rock.

It really depends on how the position is dervived and the Peter Ustinov

"We know you know we know you know where we are but you don't know we know you know we know you know how we know you know."

[Pontious]

O I C....

I'd have thought Old Admiral Whathisnameski would have been briefed prior to 'stoking up the heat blooms' and storming around the Kola Penninsula as to what reconnaisance resources might be ranged against him.

NATO might have left it's backyard unattended for a few years but I don't think The Red Banner Northern Fleet believes for one second that NATO could have run down it's forces to the extent that it couldn't bolt that particular gate shut-to if it really had to.

Surely any 'new' surveillance assets & methods regardless of how superdooper and high tech' wouldn't be overtly revealed and their results would be put down to more traditional methods...which means there must surely be some overt shadowing.NATO/Russia Strategic relationships dictate that we deploy our forces to observe theirs & vice versa.

Anybody know where the Fleet is?

Answers on a postcode to COMSUBLANT, NORTHWOOD (although that may become RNR CLUB, FLEETWOOD to pay for the new Carriers)
:ok:

[k3k3]

"We know you know we know you know where we are but you don't know we know you know we know you know how we know you know."
My brain hurts.

[Gainesy]

Anybody know where the Fleet is?


One of it is in the Gulf, the other one is in Guz for Christmas.:hmm:

[Widger]

Anybody know where the Fleet is?


I am here, but a bit busy at the moment. I am trying to do the shopping but, there is no car available and the credit card company is demanding it's money back as I have maxed out my credit limit. I do have some assets (lawnmower, television etc) but my next door neighbours keep trying to get me to pawn them down the local shop so I can give them the money to by their own plasma screen TV.

My wife has left me as I have been spending too much time on the road lately and I have not been paid properly. Things are really desperate. I do not know what has happend. I used to have such a good life with foreign holidays all around the world and my wife and I made so many friends. We even used to go and stay with them. Now we have no money and have to travel on Ryanair (oh the shame!). No-one wants to know us anymore. My good friend Mr Wong down at the local chinese does not even want my business anymore and has struck up a relationship with Ivan and Buck. I am reduced to eating at the local Kebab shop with Omar and Ahmed but I don't really trust them. Every time I walk in everyone stops and stares. I think they like my money but not my company.

What do you all think I should do? I would so much like to do more work for the community but I am at a loss. I think I will ring the Citizens Advice Bureau!

The Fleet

[Widger]

Things have just got worse..my neighbour, Cyril has just bought himself a Bugatti Veyron, totally impractical and I know he cannot afford it as he has not been getting paid either. He says that it goes really fast but the point is, he has lots of kids who he needs to get around to school and the various clubs. His only other transport is a clapped out 740 Volvo which has just failed it's MOT. He has a number of other classic cars but nothing that is suitable as family transport. I told him that he needs to get a minibus and that if he was interested, we could share the cost, that way we could get everyone on the estate around. He said that it is far too slow and he could do shuttle runs with the kids in his Veyron or in the Volvo. I am not sure if I would like my kids in that car though. Percy , up the road has a similar problem although he has lots more kids. He is not fussed about how he gets around and even travels with the great unwashed on public transport. That does cause problems however, as they are regularly to be seen waiting in the rain at the bus stop and are always late for Cubs and Brownies. Cyril usually gives them a wave though as he speeds past splashing water all over their boots (shame they are not waterproof and have holes in the soles)

I think the minibus idea is a good one. Of course it is not fancy or glamorous like the Veyron, but I think it is very practical. It is large enough to get all the kids around in one trip. Cyril's son can use it to maintain his go-kart when he goes racing at the weekend, we could load it up with the roof rack and go camping together and even go on holiday somewhere nice. I have bought an awning and a little mini washing machine to go in it so we can have all the comforts of home and when camping, we will have space to entertain as well. I think with this minibus, we might be able to get some of our friends back, that we miss so much. I don't know if the wife will come along though as she is filing for Divorce and the CSA are on my back.

Jack

[Magnersdrinker]

I remember many years back the Ruskies used to do this every xmas time and basically piss off the maratine fleet of the RAF and always see if we were awake at Xmas with constant ops flying. Think the word on the street is it will pass close to the UK this weekend

[Pontius Navigator]

I remember many years back the Ruskies used to do this every xmas time and basically piss off the maratine fleet of the RAF and always see if we were awake at Xmas with constant ops flying.

Magners, you may also recall the Friday-Monday flypro too. Morning departure on a Monday morning, perfectly natural for an SSN to depart its home port for a warm water cruise.

GIUK gap around breakfast Saturday give or take the odd sortie. :)

Will 12 MRA4 be able to hack it?

[Shack37]

I think somebody used to send them the Bank Holiday calender as they rarely missed Easter and Whitsun breaks either.

[M609]

Statoil/Hydro stopped all helicopter flights to/from their intallations on the Troll oil and gas fields 2 days ago. (Some reports allso say to the Statfjord field)
The Russians was making the most of "Due regard", and sailed close to the rigs without any coordination, launching both fighters and helicopters according to the media. (Class E airspace above 1500ft) No transponders on the russian aircraft naturally, so the offshore sector of Stavanger ATCC could do little to help.

Image taken by someone on the rigs (www.dagbladet.no)

http://gfx.dagbladet.no/pub/artikkel/5/52/520/520894/h8582_1197388361.jpg

[Gainesy]

What do they use for fuel, pine logs and coal?:uhoh:

[Razor61]

Going Off Topic slighly but the Ukrainians sold the other 'newer' Kuznetsov class carrier "Varyag" to China under a contract that it will never be refitted for combat operations and be used as a floating casino and at a mere price of just $20m. The Turkish would not let the carrier pass through into the Med Sea until 2001 when her rudders and everything else had been taken off. (she was then towed to China)
Why would a country buy a large 68,000 ton carrier and never use it for combat operations?

According to recent photos, China has painted the Varyag in the usual Chinese Warship Combat Operations colours and it is under tight security and covered a lot of the time.
What would happen if China did break that contract and refit it for Combat Ops? As it seems they are going ahead with something other than a Casino!

[Gainesy]

Maybe they'll operate Blackjacks from it?

I can't see China being too bothered about breaking the contract, its not as if Ukraine has other assets that China might want.

[ORAC]

According to Janes Fighting Ships the Varyag has been renamed the "Shi Lang". Shi Lang was the Chinese admiral who conquered Taiwan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi_Lang).......

[Koshmar]

Oh well, while our eyes have been diverted courtesy of Dubya to the Middle East, the Russians have nicely got themselves back up. What people tend to dismiss as a hasbeen superpower is in reality a revitalised and hungry superpower-in-the-wings. I've been looking that bit further east and north than Eye-rak, and to be honest it's no surprise the Reds are up and steaming. The stuff they've scrapped is decades old, noisy and rusty, but just wait til you see the new St Petersburg class subs. Independent Air Cells, underwater missiles, the full biz.

Do we ever learn? Sadly not... :(

[Navaleye]

I would imagine she will be used as a crew training facility rather than operationally. It takes years of training put put a full sized carrier to sea, even the Russian have struggled for years. Even if the whole thing is just a ruse, it would certainly keep the American's guessing. If its not a ruse, they have to start a training programme now. My understanding was that Varyag was 70% complete when construction stopped. Lots of cheap labour can scrape off the rust and you are off.
Interesting vid on Kusnetsov Here. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqLe5ttSHo4)
The Sukhoi looks pretty cool compared to what we have to offer. But they could do with a bit more deck landing practice. The radar kit - well that's 1970s stuff.

Missed the Udaloy taking well green. :ok::ok: :} Surprised its still afloat. Russian ships are useless in heavy seas, ours though were much better even though they were smaller.

[Lyneham Lad]

Interesting vid on Kusnetsov

Phew, glad I wasn't on the escorting destroyer during that bit of a blow - I've been known to turn green crossing the Channel when it was merely choppy!

Quirky choice of music towards the end of the video - sounded like a jazzed-up version of the title music from 'Das Boot'.

LL

[Pontius Navigator]

The most frightening thing about this is that it was on YouTube and it was rather good. Can you imagine their airships aloowing a crash in an official video?

Navaleye, remember the Google Earth pic in St Petersburg? The vessel next to the Udaloj is still afloat even with its stern underwater.

[Navaleye]

PN,
Yes that's true, but I just watched that vid again and that wollowing bucket is hove-to, in fact its having a hard time keeping its head to sea. Its a 10,000 ton ship. It just goes to show how badly designed they are, too much topweight. I'd like to see a T22 in similar conditions.
I feel sorry for the poor buggers on it though. Not fun.

[Gainesy]

Anybody know where Kuznetsov is now? Has it got to the Med yet?

[Navaleye]

If they were off Stavanger 3 days ago then no. It also depends on what route they propose to take and weather conditions :) Maybe south of Ireland by now - just a guess.

This certainly wasn't meant to happen. Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rMRfnk2usc&NR=1)

[Pontious]

Does anybody know if the Kutz & Co. have had any 'visitors' tonight or last night?

Just saw an unusual NOTAM that's all.

Just curious.
:ok:

[Pontius Navigator]

MPA don't use notams, or they didn't.

[Green Flash]

I've just seen the first vid, esp the Udaloy. Now, I ain't no sailor - and if that's what it's like, I ain't gonna be one either! And on the other (SU prang) vid, does something fall off the second SU as it launches/bolts?? There is a splash as it clears the deck. Or is it a cat strop?

[Navaleye]

It can't be a cat bridle because she doesn't have any cats. Maybe some kind of hold back device ?
Also is it my imagine but the run-out lengths for the cats on the ship seem very long compared to US and French ships. May be the SUs aren't as sturdy as Rafale and F/A-18s ? Maybe STOVL has its advantages.

[Widger]

very interesting video, especially clear lower deck to manouvre an aircraft in the hangar! I would be interested in the range and payload ability of the aircraft using such a ramp launch.

[Navaleye]

Lusty should be there on Thu. No idea of they will be monitoring Kuznetsov's exercise, probably not. Uncle Sam has more than enough assets at Lajes to do the job.

[Razor61]

MOSCOW, January 21 (RIA Novosti) - The flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva guided-missile cruiser, has successfully hit designated targets as part of a Navy exercise in the northern Atlantic Monday, a Navy spokesman said.
A Joint Naval Task Force, comprised of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, the Udaloy-Class destroyers Admiral Levchenko and Admiral Chabanenko, as well as auxiliary vessels, is currently on a two-month tour of duty in the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic.
"The missile system used for the launches has no match in performance terms," Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo, an aide to the Navy commander, said.
The Moskva cruiser joined up with Russian warships in the Mediterranean on Friday to participate in ongoing maneuvers, including live missile launches against airborne and seaborne targets.
Russian warships will also practice interoperability with naval aviation and strategic bombers for several days.
The operation is the first large-scale Russian Navy exercise in the Atlantic for 15 years. All the warships and aircraft involved are carrying full combat ammunition loads, the Navy said.

[Gainesy]

Wonder what they use as targets? Do they have to file some sort of Notam for mariners thing, (YoHoHoTam?) if so, with whom?

[Razor61]

Well we have too and so do the French and US when firing anything in the North Atlantic...

But then, if they can fly their Sukhois around the oil rigs off Scotland causing distruption to the helicopter support then i'm sure they would fire their missiles with no official NOTAM.

If they had only just gone through the Gibraltar straight on Saturday then they have two days of sailing to get where they went to fire the missiles on Monday.

I did hear that one or two of the Cruisers was supposed to exercise with the French in the North Atlantic/Biscay region either on their way down or on their way back up....
There has been a live fire exercise put on by the French recently in Biscay.

[steamchicken]

More than that afoot: Link ("http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL2235954320080122?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews)

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia on Tuesday sent two long-range bombers to the Bay of Biscay, off the French and Spanish Atlantic coasts, to test-fire missiles in what it billed as its biggest navy exercise in the area since Soviet times.
(Advertisement)

British and Norwegian Tornado and F-16 jets were escorting the Russian 'Blackjack' bombers, Interfax reported, quoting the Russian Air Force.

However, the French Defence Ministry spokesman said his country had been informed about the Russian exercises.

Firing missiles off the coastline of two members of the NATO military alliance is the latest in a series of Kremlin moves flexing Moscow's military muscle on the world stage.

The Russian bombers joined aircraft carriers, battleships and submarine hunters from the Northern and Black Sea fleets for the Atlantic exercises, which come as the country enters an election campaign to choose a successor to President Vladimir Putin.

"The air force is taking a very active part in the exercises of the navy's strike force in the Atlantic," Russia's air force said in a statement.

"Today, two strategic Tu-160 bombers departed for exercises in the Bay of Biscay, which ... will carry out a number of missions and will conduct tactical missile launches," it said.

Putin, widely popular as his second four-year term draws to a close, has sought to use such moves to revive domestic and international respect for Russia's armed forces which were shattered by the chaos of the 1990s.

A former KGB lieutenant-colonel, Putin has boosted military spending, renewed long-range bomber missions and approved a plan to upgrade Russia's nuclear attack forces, which he said was needed after NATO built up its forces close to Russia's borders.

But some analysts note that while the sabre rattling is popular at home, Russian military spending in absolute terms is substantially lower than that of China, Britain or France and less than a tenth of that of the United States.

Discipline is still a major problem for Russia's armed forces, which rely heavily on conscripts and outdated equipment.

Russia last month said it would begin major navy sorties into the Mediterranean, with 11 ships backed up by 47 aircraft, that would then travel to the Atlantic for exercises.

The navy's flagship aircraft carrier, the Soviet-made Admiral Kuznetsov, was leading the fleet in the Atlantic where NATO aircraft were trying to keep a close eye on Russian movements, Russian media reported.

"This is the biggest exercise of its kind in the area since Soviet times," a spokesman for Russia's navy said, adding that more details would be released later.

There was no further information about where in the Bay of Biscay, which lies off the West coast of France and the Northern coast of Spain, the missile tests were due to take place.

Russia's air force said turbo-prop Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bombers, codenamed "Bear" by NATO, would join the exercise on Wednesday.

"From January 23, the aviation component in the zone where the exercises are going on will be widened and the following planes will take part: Tu-160, Tu-95, Tu-22 M3, Il-78, A-50," the air force said.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Conor Sweeney in Moscow, additional reporting by Crispian Balmer in Paris; editing by Keith Weir)

Blackjacks, Bears, Backfires, Mainstay, Candid...

[fake wafu]

plus the Frogfeet and Flankers on the carrier presumably .....

[serf]

Exactly that Gainsey - Notice to Mariners!

[Gainesy]

Well, who'd have thought it?:)

[PPRuNe Radar]

I think a spot of ground-air missile firing in the published Danger Area EGD701 is called for tomorrow :ok:

If the Russkies choose to ignore internationally published and active Danger Areas (again) and get splashed .... ah well, that's the price of bad airmanship ;)

[Roland Pulfrew]

Gainsy you B@stard

I now have tea all over my keyboard.....YoHoHoTam indeed :D

[TEEEJ]

I noticed the following 'Notice to Mariners'.(YoHoHoTam). It would tend to tie in with the Russian Navy missile firings.

http://www.nga.mil/MSISiteContent/StaticFiles/NAV_PUBS/UNTM/200804/Broadcast_Warn.pdf

'128/08(36,51). NORTH ATLANTIC. MISSILES.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 211100Z TO 211700Z AND
221100Z TO 221800Z JAN IN AREA BOUND BY
40-10N 016-30W, 39-50N 016-30W,
38-00N 020-30W, 42-00N 020-30W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 221900Z JAN.'

[Green Flash]

PPrune Radar

Naughty, but nice!:E Would be very interesting if they did stray a bit close and a bit of supersonic electronics got even closer:eek:

And i like Gainsey's YoHoHoTam:) Excellent!

[Vage Rot]

I think a spot of ground-air missile firing in the published Danger Area EGD701 is called for tomorrow

If the Russkies choose to ignore internationally published and active Danger Areas (again) and get splashed .... ah well, that's the price of bad airmanship

Wondered why our range clearance for tomorrow was canx!:eek:

[Razor61]

Just so happens that the Moskva (Slava class cruiser) and her friends has been conducting exercises off Spain with HMS Nottingham and the Spanish Navy.
Anti-Terrorism Exercises.

Here we are escorting Russian bombers down there and they are exercising with our ships anyway.

Edit:- I've just seen on the RN website, Nottingham is in the Falklands the photo of the Moskva together with Nottingham and a Spanish Frigate must be an older one... sorry for the confusion

[Gainesy]

Secret plan for Nottingham to run 'em aground in formation doncha know.:suspect:

What are they lobbing the missiles at? Some sort of splash target, errant icebergs, Greenpeace boats?

[Razor61]

Hopefully the French...
The Missile Firing is taking place from the Bombers. Another Exercise NOTAM states "Missile firing from Aircraft" in the same area of Biscay.

Plus it was stated by the Times that the Tu-160 yesterday did test fire missiles in the area.

Tonnerre is a good target to test a missile on.

[M609]

The Russians conducted a large air exercise just north of the North Cape yesterday.
According to the Norwegian JOHQ it's the largest one since the end of the cold war in this area. P-3C from Andøya, and the shiny new Aegis frigate KNM "Roald Amundsen" on sea trials popped in.

QRA F-16s from Bodø launched several times during Friday up to the area as well.

http://cache.aftenposten.no/multimedia/archive/00690/_russere_tittel_jpg_690526s.jpg

http://gfx.dagbladet.no/pub/artikkel/5/52/525/525698/f960_1201938912.jpg

http://cache.aftenposten.no/multimedia/archive/00690/_russere_fly_br_dte_690524a.jpg
Photos: Norwegian MOD via aftenposten.no and dagbladet.no