Russian FFG intercepting 2 Burke DDG's in the med

[Kapitan]

wouldnt surprise me if an Oscar II gets dispatched to the med of wait one has left port

Full storey here

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04...irstrikes.html

[Delgard]

Obviously, battlefield security should be monitored. With that in mind, I just don't understand why the news keeps saying the names of the two destroyers. That is just putting a target on the side of the ships, AND, if they go into a port the sailors wear a target.

I suspect that military leaders are moving assets around for mutual defense. Maybe an American submarine lurks near the two destroyers to help with undersea ISR and defense.

Just a thought. Safe sailing all.

[Kapitan]

Originally Posted by Delgard

Obviously, battlefield security should be monitored. With that in mind, I just don't understand why the news keeps saying the names of the two destroyers. That is just putting a target on the side of the ships, AND, if they go into a port the sailors wear a target.

I suspect that military leaders are moving assets around for mutual defense. Maybe an American submarine lurks near the two destroyers to help with undersea ISR and defense.

Just a thought. Safe sailing all.

i would say its likely either a British American or French submarine is in the area

but also K266 left port yesterday destination unknown possibly Mediterranean
K226 by Blair shaw, on Flickr

[Delgard]

Something to track...Where coming from?

Well, well, well. An Oscar II.

[Kapitan]

Originally Posted by Delgard

Something to track...Where coming from?

Well, well, well. An Oscar II.

Severomorsk K266 isn't long out of overhaul so it may be going on a shake down cruise and then to a mission who knows all i know is she left April 6th and has yet to return.

[speed150mph]

K-266 had an extensive overhaul. Heavy work was done to the propulsion plant, weapons system, navigation and support systems.

She won't be going anywhere soon. She needs to do her post refit work ups, and since they upgraded fire control systems and upgraded to the oniks missile , that will definately include live firing drills. They will want to do a staged run up of the shafts to make sure everything is good, and they will probably do a slow dive to test depth to make fully sure the fire she had while in dry dock did not cause any hull weakness.

After that she will probably come back to her home port to do a full diagnostic of the ship and make any repairs for issues found in the work ups.

By the time all that is done, they could have already dispatched one of their other ships from northern fleet or PAC fleet to make the transit. More likely then not they have dispatched one of their boats already at sea. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the new kilos in the Black Sea didn't put to sea soon.

[ikalugin]

Smolensk of Voronezh are the more likely candidates I would say. Orel indeed went back to it's homeport for post refit stuff.

In addition to the new sensors, electronics and weapons they would be testing UUVs.

Also, chances are, they would be test launching Zircons too this year.

[speed150mph]

I doubt that they would send an oscar II into the med for anything less then trailing a carrier group. Certainly not for a couple DDGs. Oscars are big, noisy and don't handle the shallows of the med very well. They like wide open oceans.

If I was them, id send a couple of the new kilos from Sevastopol, their close, their quiet, and they are good in shallow water. I'd have them set up as a barrier patrol off the Syrian cost, backing off only to recharge batteries.

I'd also send in an Akula to station keep and track them from long range. It has the speed and endurance to follow the burkes as they move down the coast. It's also a lot quieter and easier to maneuver in shallows then an oscar.

[ikalugin]

SSNs are tasked with other duties, ie SSBN escort. Currently it appears we can pick out of (in the Northern Fleet):
Oscar-IIs:
- K-119 Voronezh
- K-410 Smolensk
Akulas (various):
- K-317 Panther
- K-335 Gepard
Sierra-IIs:
- B-336 Pskov
- B-534 Nizhny Novgorod
Victor-IV:
- B-138 Obninsk

Sierras and Victor are probably out of the picture due to their status (ie Victor participated in the exercises a month ago), out of Akulas the obvious candidate is the Gepard but I bet they are busy with other missions.

p.s. and the Kilos are not based in Sevastopol.

[Kapitan]

Originally Posted by speed150mph

I doubt that they would send an oscar II into the med for anything less then trailing a carrier group. Certainly not for a couple DDGs. Oscars are big, noisy and don't handle the shallows of the med very well. They like wide open oceans.

If I was them, id send a couple of the new kilos from Sevastopol, their close, their quiet, and they are good in shallow water. I'd have them set up as a barrier patrol off the Syrian cost, backing off only to recharge batteries.

I'd also send in an Akula to station keep and track them from long range. It has the speed and endurance to follow the burkes as they move down the coast. It's also a lot quieter and easier to maneuver in shallows then an oscar.

The med although enclosed isnt that shallow and you do find Oscar's in there a fair amount of time mainly because the Americans have a carrier group stationed in Rota Spain.

As for the K266 yes she is undergoing trials after refit so we can count her out that leaves Vorenezh and Smolensk.

Memory serving the Kilos are at Novorosysk

[speed150mph]

Yes sorry my mistake on the kilos, and I agree, they would deploy them to follow a carrier battlegroup, but the nimitz carriers have a deep draft, and preserving maneuvering space means they will stay in deep open water, which suits the oscar II perfectly.

But I don't believe 2 burkes are valuable enough to divert an Oscar II, and they will probably enter more shallow waters.

That's why I think that they'd send kilos. The kilos to me are the best weapon they have. Their suited to the environment, they arnt overkill for the opposing force (as compared to a carrier killer guided missile sub), they are local and easily deployed and to the best of my knowledge are not otherwise tied up with other missions.

[ikalugin]

Well, where else would you send the Oscar-II then?

Improved Kilos can be deployed to the eastern Med., but because they are not sprinters and because any USN surface action group would most likely avoid coastal areas I don't think that they would be shadowing the said surface action group. IMO Oscar-II, especially without the data regarding Improved Kilo passage through the straits, is the more likely alternative, especially how historically we would deploy Oscar-IIs in regions with increased tensions.

[Delgard]

Could the Kilo subs do a barrier patrol with C2 from a surface ship?

[speed150mph]

Well perhaps you are right. The possibility that they may send an oscar there in case things heat up is a possibility, with tensions being so high.

Ikalugin, you seem fairly familiar with Russian navy movements and protocol. I also noticed your profile says you hail from Moscow. Are you former Russian navy?

[ikalugin]

Originally Posted by Delgard

Could the Kilo subs do a barrier patrol with C2 from a surface ship?

I guess, but there are only so many Improved Kilos in the Black Sea Fleet (6 to be specific, all 6 are operational), which makes making a proper barrier hard.
Plus, as I have said, we haven't seen them passing the straits.

Originally Posted by speed150mph

Well perhaps you are right. The possibility that they may send an oscar there in case things heat up is a possibility, with tensions being so high.

Ikalugin, you seem fairly familiar with Russian navy movements and protocol. I also noticed your profile says you hail from Moscow. Are you former Russian navy?

Arms chair admiral, never have been in the Navy.