Russia Deploys Bastion Coastal Defense Missile Systems in the Arctic

Russia has deployed coastal defense missile systems in the Arctic and also increased military activity in the region.

The Bastion Coastal Missile System (BDK), which was put into service with the tactical group of the Northern Fleet (SF) on the island of Kotelny (the Novosibirsk Islands archipelago) in the Laptev Sea, will carry out rocket fire during the exercises on the defense of the island territory of Russia in the Arctic, Interfax reported Tuesday.

DBK "Bastion", equipped with a supersonic anti-ship cruise missile "Onyx" designed and manufactured by Reutov NPO of Machine Building, "was recently delivered to the island of Kotelny by sea transport and put into service with the tactical group of the Northern Fleet." Vadim Serga, Captain of the Northern Fleet was quoted as saying by Interfax.

In the Laptev Sea, the crews of ships and vessels will provide tactical exercises, as well as conduct a number of general combat training activities. The day before, a detachment led by a large anti-submarine ship "Vice Admiral Kulakov" successfully crossed the ice-dangerous regions of the East Siberian Sea, as well as the Sannikov Strait, accompanied by the Vaigach nuclear icebreaker, Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement Monday.

Ice reconnaissance along the route was carried out by the crew of the search and rescue helicopter Ka-27PS from the side of the BCP "Vice Admiral Kulakov". The helicopters relayed information about the ice situation and recommended a safe direction for the movement of the grouping.

According to the Interfax report, DBK "Bastion" is able to hit targets at a range of up to 350 - 450 km. In November 2016, the "Bastion" deployed in Syria was used to defeat ground targets. At present, the Bastion DBK is in service with the land and coastal forces of all four navies of the Russian Navy. They, in particular, are deployed in the Crimea, Kaliningrad region, Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands.

The Bastion complex is designed to engage surface ships of various classes and types from amphibious formations, convoys, ship and carrier-based strike groups, as well as single ships and ground-based radio-contrast purposes in conditions of intense fire and electronic countermeasures. Its main task is to protect the coastline with a length of more than 600 km from the landing operations.