Russia’s largest drills in the Pacific since the end of the Cold War wrapped up today, but a Russian spy ship remains anchored off Hawaii. The exercises included surface ships, anti-submarine aircraft, and long-range bombers that simulated air attacks on U.S.-held positions around Oahu Island from about 100 miles offshore at sea level to high above it as they flew northward along its coastline before returning south over Kauai Island into international waters near Kona or Midway Atoll for refueling according to various sources.
The Russian government released a statement announcing the end of drills that were generally several hundred miles west of Hawaii.
“The Russian vessels are transiting west and are out of the Hawaii Operation Area,” said Navy Capt. Mike Kafka, a spokesman for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command at Camp H.M. Smith. “As part of our normal daily operations, we continue to track all vessels in the Indo-Pacific area of operations through maritime patrol aircraft, surface ship and joint capabilities.”
Kafka said the Russian vessels operated in international waters throughout the exercise.
“At the closest point, some ships operated approximately 20 to 30 nautical miles (23 to 34 statute miles) off the coast of Hawaii,” he said. “We closely tracked all vessels.”
The Russian fleet consists of the guided-missile cruiser Varyag (above), the frigates Marshal Shaposhnikov and Admiral Panteleyev, and the Steregushchy-class frigate Sovershenny. The latter are Gromkiy, Aldar Tsydenzhapov – they can all be seen above!
Russia’s missile testing capabilities are on full display in the form of an unarmed ship, but it is not just any old boat. The vessel that follows Russia’s missiles and observes them as they fly through our sky has many features that make us fear what could be coming next from a Russian perspective with their newest military equipment.
As of press time, the Russian ships’ location is 4100 miles away from Vladivostok. This far east and in this many numbers has never been seen before by Russia; they visit America’s San Francisco bay for a little bit less than what we’re seeing now!
The Russian flotilla is being escorted by three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and a Sentinel-class cutter, according to satellite images.
The U.S. Navy has been monitoring the movement of the Russian fleet as it moves through international waters in an attempt to threaten NATO allies or otherwise flex its muscles with military strength while simultaneously testing America’s response time for such actions
Russia is pushing the envelope in Hawaii. Twice this week, their Bear bombers flew to near-Hawaii before turning back and flying towards Russian territory. The F-22 Raptors were scrambled but didn’t have any hostile intentions against Russia – they just wanted them gone from our borders immediately so we can continue with our day without the worry of a possible attack on America’s 50th state!
A Navigational Warning has appeared that seems to indicate a possible #Missile #Defense Test from Kodiak (Alaska) and Kwajalein on June 21.
Launch trajectory interpretation is (very) provisional/approximate.@planet4589 @nukestrat @mhanham @wslafoy @ArmsControlWonk @FranticGoat pic.twitter.com/Bw1XgMfEgR— Dr Marco Langbroek 💉x2 #Vaccinate (@Marco_Langbroek) June 16, 2021
With the tensions between the U.S and North Korea on high, it is unsurprising to see that they are conducting a missile defense test involving simulated ballistic missiles launched from Kodiak Island off of Alaska in an attempt to intercept them before reaching Hawaii.
Missile defense is a hot topic these days, but it’s not the only thing to have our attention. The crew on board M/V Pacific Collector and M/V Pacific Tracker are conducting missile test observation as well! These ships collect data from high altitude tests of missiles which could be used for further research in this field.
Watchin? pic.twitter.com/koi6gHUDZp
— Simon Bolivar (@Simon85205764) June 20, 2021
As you sail past the USNS Worthy, your mind drifts to how different this ship is from most of its sister ships. The vessel before it in line is a missile range instrumentation ship based at Kwajalein Atoll. This begs many questions such as: What are they doing? Why do we need them so far south of their usual location? And what does that have to do with us on our journey through the Panama Canal and into international waters??
There’s an old ship that is still being used today and its location unknown. One of the interesting features of this boat is large domes designed to protect radar from the elements, which can be found near their homeport in Portland, Oregon.
The Russian task force is unusually large, and it will be interesting to see what their message is. With a relatively new Biden Administration in office after the recent election, we may have more time to think about who exactly Russia wants us all thinking they are: China’s equal?
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