ALMATY. Aug 1 (Interfax-Kazakhstan) - Kazakhstan's Peaceful Sea-2002 naval exercises in the Caspian Sea, to be held from August 7- 16, will involve up to 400 pieces of combat and specialized hardware and over 3,000 servicemen, a spokesman for the Kazakh Defense Ministry told Interfax on Thursday.
SU-27 Flanker fighter jets, combat helicopters, military transport planes, armored vehicles, modern artillery systems, mobile marine, aviation, air-defense, missile and artillery forces and communication troops will be used, he said.
Kazakhstan's troops will practice the planning and relocation of forces and hardware over long distances with simultaneous relocation of air-defense aircraft and the westward transfer of radio-technical units for the first time.
Practice in destruction of naval targets by the missile and artillery forces is scheduled for the first time as well, the spokesman said.
The exercise will involve territorial defense forces protecting the most important installations in the Caspian Sea zone. In addition, the Kazakh engineering troops will practice in organization and establishment of minefields in the coastal zone.
Accomplishment of air defense missions will be rehearsed during the exercise as well.
According to the spokesman, aircraft of the Kazakh Air Force and Air Defense will take part in a stage of the war games. They will provide cover and support to a landing party of Russia's Caspian Flotilla that will be engaged in large-scale war games in the northern part of the sea.