Royal navy, RAF track Russian vessels in waters near U.K.
NewsSeptember 08, 2023
LONDON. U.K. naval warships and RAF [Royal Air Force] patrol aircraft tracked a series of Russian vessels in waters close to the U.K. recently in what the British navy termed a "a concerted monitoring operation."
In a statement, the U.K. navy explained that many of the Russian vessels were associated with the Russian Navy Day, which was held in St Petersburg on July 30.
According to the navy statement, Plymouth (U.K.)-based HMS Portland (a Type 23 frigate), the HMS Tyne patrol vessel, and Poseidon P-8A submarine-hunter aircraft worked together to monitor Russian vessels, including corvettes Boikiy and Grad, cruiser Marshal Ustinov, the Udaloy-class destroyer Severomorsk, and others.
The statement also asserted: "With their collective array of powerful sensors for locating and tracking, the British submarine-hunting frigate and maritime patrol aircraft are a formidable duo for locating and monitoring operations, allowing for constant surveillance from the sea and air. Having detected a ship or submarine, the aircraft can communicate the position, allowing a warship to intercept and track."
Commander Ed Moss-Ward, HMS Portland’s Commanding Officer, said of the operation: “P-8 aircraft operating with a Type 23 frigate with an embarked Merlin helicopter provides the U.K. with a world-leading antisubmarine warfare capability.”
