Russian Northern Fleet forces wrap up the exercise in the Arctic after a successful completion of all tasks. The exercise was aimed at practicing defense of sea communications and Russian economic areas within the Northern Sea Route area. The Northern Fleet exercise was aimed at practicing defense of sea communications and Russian economic areas within the Northern Sea Route area. It also involved forces control during specula operations on containment and elimination of terrorists. The drill covered several proving grounds in the Murmansk Region, swathes of Barents, Kara and Laptev Seas.
During exercise with the Arctic expeditionary group, six sea-and land-based cruise missiles launches were performed by the Northern Fleet. The launches of the Granit missiles were carried out by the crews of the heavy nuclear missile cruiser Pyotr Velikiy and the nuclear submarine missile cruiser Orel. Anti-ship missiles Vulkan and Moskit were fired by the combat crews of the missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov and the destroyer Admiral Ushakov. Coastal missile systems Bal and Bastion have worked out firing at sea targets from the coast of the Sredny Peninsula and the Arctic island of Alexandra Land.
The P-700 Granit (English: granite) is a Soviet and Russian naval anti-ship cruise missile. Its GRAU designation is 3M45, its NATO reporting name SS-N-19 Shipwreck. It comes in surface-to-surface and submarine-launched variants, and can also be used against ground targets. The P-1000 Vulkan missile was partially derived from the P-500 Bazalt and P-700 Granit. Its maximum speed is claimed to be between Mach 1.5 – Mach 2.5 depending on altitude, and its range is claimed to be between 700 and 1000 km (800). The body of the missile resembles that of the P-500, but it has the ability of the P-700 to overcome defensive countermeasures.
The P-270 Moskit ( Mosquito) is a Soviet supersonic ramjet powered anti-ship cruise missile. Its GRAU designation is 3M80, air launched variant is the Kh-41 and its NATO reporting name is SS-N-22 Sunburn. The Moskit was originally designed to be ship-launched, but variants have been adapted to be launched from land (modified trucks), underwater (submarines) and air (reportedly the Sukhoi Su-33, a naval variant of the Sukhoi Su-27), as well as on the Lun-class ekranoplan. It reaches a speed of Mach 3 (3,675 km/h; 2,284 mph) at high altitude and Mach 2.2 at low-altitude. This speed is 4.25 to 3 times more than speed of the subsonic American Harpoon.
