The Russian Black Sea Fleet held a joint exercise with the Turkish Navy, according to Russian and Turkish media.
Russian patrol ship Vasily Bykov and sea trawler Valentin Pikul, and Turkish navy corvette Burgazada and minesweeper Akçay took part in the drill conducted near the port of Novorossiysk, according to a release.
“During the drills, the patrol ship Vasily Bykov, the sea-going minesweeper Valentin Pikul of the Novorossiysk naval base held joint Russian-Turkish drills with the foreign corvette Burgazada and the minesweeper Akcay,” the press office said in a statement.
The statement also said the two countries’ forces worked together to simulate safe navigation of vessels out of a naval minefield.
After the drills, the Turkish warships reportedly left Russian waters.
This occured on March the 6th as part of the Turkish Navy’s Mavy Vatan-2019 exercise.
This comes not long after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan clarified speculation about Ankara’s deal with Moscow to Russian buy S-400 Triumf air defence systems, saying his government won’t cancel the deal, despite protests from Washington.
Turkey joined NATO in February 1952.
All very bizarre, a NATO member holding drills with the very country it was formed to counter. That and Turkey is, as far as I am aware, the only NATO country to have been in a recent engagement vs Russia.
Rob,
Turkey has under Erdogan moved away from a democratic society (Not that it was much of one anyway) and towards one of Islamic dictatorship with an eye towards rebuilding the caliphate which was disbanded in 1922.
We see examples of this with how anybody who could oppose this step have been removed, how free speech has been clamped down on and how Turkey has started throwing its weight around, be it against the Kurds, in Syria and Iraq, agaisnt Cyprus and Greece and of course agaisnt NATO countries such as Germany and Holland. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Turkey leaves NATO and forms its own Islamic band of brothers (Looks at Qatar, Syria,Iran, Iraq ,Lebanon and Sudan.) Might explain why Turkey has gone all hell for leather in developing its own arms industry in the knowledge that if it did so, certain items would be denied it and this way it won’t fall foul of any embargoes. If that were to happen expect a military blockade on Israel to transpire in which to galvanise the faithful and to cement Anlkara to the Umma as the rightful successor to the Ottman empire.
Holland is not a country, but a region within the country of the Netherlands.
Completely agree about Turkey though. The fact that they’re still illegally occupying half of Cyprus alone should warrant a harder stance from the west.
an insider view on how the russian fleet operates, is a fine opportunity’to get one of NATO’s bigger navies to get a good look up close of russian capabilities.
interesting thai upgrades to it river class derivativehttps://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/press-release/royal-thai-navy-selects-thales-modernise-its-naval-capabilities
Hi, non related subject, but those following this petition:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petition/235377
The Government has replied to it. My take on the reply is that the last para is a cop out, but I find it interesting that we have a national shipbuilding strategy that will only guarantee the building of carriers, frigates and destroyers in the UK (21 ships), but may build minesweepers, OPVs. Assault ships, survey ships and the RFA (37 ships excl Archer class) overseas. This doesn’t make sense to me and doesn’t support UK shipbuilding, although it may drive UK shipbuilders to become more efficient to win the work. What other country has a policy like this?. I have raised my thoughts on this with my local MP. Interested to see what others think.
the link you provided is dead and doesn’t lead to anything anymore!
Andy quite a few countries have ships built overseas. Ireland just bought OPVs from us, Malta just ordered from Italy. North African countries have bought various naval vessels from Europe, Gulf states have bought from the US and Europe. I believe the Ship Building Strategy is to go after this market which is higher margin, not sure we would win too many orders for less complex ships. We’ll still be building ships in 10 years time. I’m actually more worried about our ability to build fast jets in 10 years time.
Fair comment, I should have qualified my statement by saying ‘what other major shipbuilding country does this’. Many countries which only need a few ships, don’t have the capability to build them, but we do and in my view should do. Perhaps we should have more internal competition as with the type 31.
I also agree with you re fast jets
I certainly understood your point I fear that with our policy soon we will be joining those other countries that have little choice than to buy foreign.
We have done this with many of our industries over the decades under the guise of making the remaining rump more efficient. It has worked to a minor degree though at enormous cost and fact is as efficient as that remaining rump whatever the industry is it has rarely left it capable of competing against far bigger foreign businesses many of which have direct or indirect Goverment subsidies and thus either fail to grow or in most cases fall to foreign prey. A sad long term failing of various Goverments over 50 or more years that persists certainly with the Tories today who are simply intent on some re imagined class war it seems where they fear and/or simply refuse to trust British workers and rather lease out jobs abroad accordingly.
the government are masters at ‘cherry picking answers that will keep people quiet, i’ve written to the M.O.D on numerous occasions, but in general the replies are a rehash of the manifesto of the last election or highlighting the production of the t 26, f 35b and in future the design of the t31, its all predictable stuff and does nothing to pacify ‘hawks’ like myself
who wants a big navy, a capable one and not a BAE commercial brochure.
And the Yanks are going to sell the F35 to the turks,they must be mad.
the yanks would sell their mothers for a dollar.
Not worth a dollar!!
it is worse than that, Turkey was slated to host a major deep maintenence centre for the F-35; I suspect this won’t happen now.
Fingers crossed Blighty gets it instead
I don’t trust the Turks but wouldn’t read to much into a tiny naval exercise, we just took part in the Pakistani Aman exercise which included Iran and Russia so can’t exactly criticize them
Yes was just looking at them?!
Look like Solar panels!
It strikes me that the US has caused a stink with S400 and only pushed the Turks closser to Russia by their efforts. I thought Trump had blocked the F35 deal. As a result Russia will step in again and offer them planes.
I think we should be carefull not to push Turkey into the Russian camp.
Rob N
Russia are Partrens for Peace with NATO, as are Ireland, Finland and Sweden for example.
https://www.sto.nato.int/Pages/partnership-for-peace.aspx
Partners!
Yes we are all one big happy family and never fight. Like the family down the street that get the police called on them every thanksgiving and has a burning meth lab in the backyard.