MOSCOW. March 29 (Interfax-AVN) - Servicemen of a reconnaissance unit of the Russian Airborne Forces will test the Strelets reconnaissance complex and the Ratnik infantry combat system during command-and-staff drills conducted together with the Tajik army, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a report.
"Russian paratroopers will be using modern reconnaissance gear for the first time during the accomplishment of their combat training missions in the Tajik highlands," the report seen by Interfax-AVN on Wednesday said.
"According to the scenario, a reinforced reconnaissance unit of the Airborne Forces will be airlifted by military transport aircraft from Ulyanovsk and airdropped near the Afghan-Tajik border to accomplish an independent reconnaissance-and-rescue mission during command-and-staff drills of the Russian and Tajik armed forces," the report said.
Navigation, positioning and 'friend-foe' identification systems will be automatically switched on right before servicemen are airdropped and will stay on until after the mission is accomplished.
Airborne Forces servicemen will be airdropped from military transport aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces using Arbalet-2 special parachutes from an altitude of up to 3,000 meters, the Defense Ministry said.
It was reported earlier that Russian paratroopers would practice searching for bases of 'illegal armed units' in the mountains together with units of the Russian Armed Forces' Central Military District and the Tajik army.
The joint command-and-staff exercises are being held from March 27 through March 30 in accordance with the plan of cooperation between the Russian and Tajik defense ministries.