Chinese and Russian warships active near Japan ahead of RIMPAC 2022
Chinese ships on June 17, 2022. JMSDF Photos
Russian warships are now sailing in eastern China and the Philippine seas near Japan, the Russian Navy and Japanese Defense Ministry said on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Indo-Pacific Deployment 2022 (IPD22) trained with the US Navy as ships from five Indo-Pacific countries sailed together out of Guam en route to Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2022 (RIMPAC2022) in Hawaii.
The Russian Navy said that the RFS destroyers Marshal Shaposhnikov (543) and RFS Admiral Panteleev (548) and the RFS Missile Range Instrumentation Ship Marshal Krylov were underway with accompanying corvettes had operated a supply ship Pechenga in the Philippine Sea. The statement added that the ships practiced joint maneuvers in the region with air defense, search for submarines and cooperation with Pacific Fleet aircraft. Earlier on Friday, the Russians said a detachment of the Russian Pacific Fleet entered the Philippine Sea and was engaged in anti-aircraft training as well as searching for fake enemy submarines.
The movements of Russian and Chinese warships around Japan have been observed by Japan’s Defense Ministry, with the ministry’s Joint Staff Office issuing statements. On Friday, the JSO issued a statement indicating the sighting of five Russian ships including a destroyer and four corvettes Thursday in the vicinity of the Izu Islands, with the ships then sailing southwest between Smith Island and Torishima. Subsequently, on Friday, a Russian Navy destroyer with Marshal Krylov was seen in the same area moving southwest.
Hull numbers and images provided in the release identified the vessels as Marshal Shaposhnikov and Admiral Panteleev, RFS corvette Soverhennyy (333), RFS Gromky (335), RFS Gremyashchiy (337) and RFS Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov (339) and Marshal Krylov. The statement also said that the JS destroyers Congo (DDG-173) and JS Teruzuki (DD-116) with JMSDF P-1s Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) of Fleet Air Wing 4 based at Naval Air Facility Atsugi monitored the Russian ships.
On Sunday, the JSO issued a statement saying that five Russian ships were observed around Okinawa and sailed northwest through the Miyako Strait in the East China Sea. The shell numbers and pictures provided corresponded to Admiral Panteleev, Soverhennyy, Gromky, Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov and Marshal Krylov. Teruzuki and JS mothership Tokiwa (AOE-423) along with a JMSDF P-3C Orion MPA from Fleet Air Wing 5 based at Naha Air Base monitored the Russian ships.
A second group of nine Russian vessels was spotted 25 miles north of Cape Soya, Hokkaido on Friday, a JSO statement said that day. Hull numbers and images provided in the release identified the ships as RFS corvettes Koryeyets (390), RFS R-29 (916), RFS R-20 (920), RSF R-24 (946), RFS R-298 (971), RFS R-19 (978) and RFS R-261 (991), an Altay-class supply vessel and the hospital ship Irtysh. The ships then sailed west through La Pérouse Strait into the Sea of Japan. JS Fast Attack Ship Wakataka (PG-825) and a JMSDF P-3C Orion from Fleet Air Wing 2 based at JMSDF Hachinohe Air Base were watching the Russian ships.
On Sunday, three People’s Liberation Army Navy ships were spotted sailing south in the sea area about 137 miles east of Mount Jinhua, Miyagi Prefecture, the hull numbers and pictures provided have identified the ships as CNS destroyers Lhasa (102) and SNC Chengdu (120) and CNS tanker Dongpinghu (902), according to Japanese officials. PLAN ships were guarded by the destroyer JS makinami (DD-112), the statement also included details of the movement of PLAN ships since their June 12 sighting in the Tsushima Strait and the movement of a Dongdiao-class surveillance vessel with hull number 794 which sailed and landed nearby. of the group. Dongpinghu and Dongdiao 794 had sailed through the Tsugaru Strait together on An earlier JSO statement on Friday said that Lhasa and Chengdu were spotted at noon on Thursday sailing northeast in an area 230 km southwest of Rebun Island, Hokkaido, then sailing east through the La Pérouse Strait. The statement said that Wakataka and a JMSDF P-3C Orion from Fleet Air Wing 2 guarded the PLAN ships.
Meanwhile, the JMSDF’s IPD22 deployment conducted its first engagement with JS Izumo (DDH-183) and destroyer JS Takanami (DD-110) having carried out an exercise with the destroyer USS sampson (DDG-102) and supply ship USNS Rappahannock (T-AO-204) in the Pacific Ocean from Friday to Sunday. The IPD has been an annual deployment by the JMSDF since 2019 and the 2022 IPD will involve two surface units, one consisting of Izumo and Takanami while a second surface unit includes the destroyer JS Kirisame (DD-104). An unnamed submarine will also be deployed.
In other developmentsa multinational sailing exercise was held from Thursday to Saturday by ships from five Indo-Pacific navies that are sailing to Hawaii for exercise Rim of the Pacific 2022 (RIMPAC 2022), which will be held in Hawaii from June 29 to August 4 The common sail vessels were the Indian Navy frigate INS Satpura (F48), BRP Philippine Navy frigate Antonio Luna (FF-151), Indonesian Navy frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai (332), Republic of Singapore Navy frigate RSS Intrepid (69) and KD corvette of the Royal Malaysian Navy Lekir (FSG26).