MOSCOW, January 23. /TASS/: The teams of Orlan-10 drones of Russia’s 201st military base reconnoitered notional militants’ camps during drills in the mountains of Tajikistan, the press office of Russia’s Central Military District reported on Thursday.
"Under the drills’ scenario, motorized infantry units reinforced with tank platoons switched to an attack to eliminate the defending enemy force in the mountainous terrain. Drones carried out ground and air reconnaissance of the terrain in the gorges of the Gissar Ridge jointly with reconnaissance squads. Upon detecting the positions of the enemy’s combat hardware and fortifications, the troops transmitted coordinates to strike them by the fire of artillery, armored and motor rifle units," the press office said in a statement.
The drones flew at an altitude of 300 meters above the terrain in the airspace of the Lyaur mountainous training range. The target acquisition data were transmitted to mobile command posts.
"The full-size targets simulating combat hardware and the fire pockets were eliminated by the concentrated fire of 122mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery guns, T-72 tanks, 82mm Sani mortars and the small arms of motorized infantry troops," the press office added.
"The two-day exercise held on January 22-23 involved over 500 Russian troops and about 80 items of military hardware, the statement says.
The 201st military base stationed in Tajikistan is Russia’s largest military facility outside its borders. The military base is stationed in the cities of Dushanbe and Bokhtar. The military base’s armament includes T-72 tanks, BTR-82A armored personnel carriers, Grad multiple launch rocket systems, Gvozdika and Akatsiya artillery systems.
Under an agreement signed in October 2012, Russia’s military base in Tajikistan will remain until 2042.
