MOSCOW. Jan 6 (Interfax-AVN) - In the two months of participation of the Russian carrier strike group in Syria, naval aviation pilots performed 420 sorties and destroyed 1,252 terrorist targets, Col. Gen. Andrei Kartapolov, commander of the Russian military group in Syria, said.
"In the two months of participation in hostilities, our naval aviation pilots performed 420 sorties, 117 of them at night. Virtually all flights took place in difficult weather conditions. A total of 1,252 terrorist targets were destroyed," Kartapolov said.
The Northern Fleet's carrier strike group, consisting of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, Pyotr Veliky heavy nuclear-powered missile carrier, Severomorsk large landing ship, as well as Black Sea Fleet ships and support vessels, has been participating in the counter-terrorist mission in Syria since November 8, 2016, the general recalled.
"Strikes were carried out against illegal armed groups' infrastructure, concentrations of militants and military equipment, firing positions and strongholds. On November 15, 2016, the Black Sea Fleet's Admiral Grigorovich frigate deployed to the Mediterranean Sea fired Kalibr cruise missiles against ISIL [banned in Russia] targets on Syrian territory. All targets were destroyed," the commander said.
Carrier-based aircraft were used in carrying out strikes against ground targets for the first time in the Russian Navy's history, he said.