BILLED [Egypt] Coastal Defence Practice

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COASTAL DEFENCE PRACTICE Classified Information ​

Operation Background

As part of the mandatory armed forces training schedule, the egyptian coastal anti-shipping units would undergo a training in coordination with the maritime patrol aircraft currently available. The objective would be to improve the capacity to detect approaching hostile vessels as soon as possible and effectively engage them as far away from egyptian land as possible. Practiced skill: Coastal Defence I

Deployed Forces

All SPU-35V "Redut" Units and personnel in Alexandria Naval Station Hurghada Naval Station Mersa Matruh Naval Station Port Said Naval Station Berenice Naval Station P3B-Orion and 1st Maritime Patrol Squadron 2nd Maritime Patrol Squadron 3rd Maritime Patrol Squadron 1st Airborne Air Control Squadron 2nd Airborne Air Control Squadron 4th Airborne Air Control Squadron Plus communications and logistic support personnel.

Logistical Details

The drills and training would be carried out from each of the coastal defence locations at the egyptian naval stations. Aircraft would operate from their regular bases and be assigned to their respectively closest naval base. Dummy anti-shipping missiles would be employed with deactivation devices to disengage and fall into the sea safely few km away from the target. The navy would provide different sized vessels to serve as "hostile" units. The exercises would take place on egyptian and international waters. All units would be fulyl fueled, manned and supplied before departing.

 

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On one side, all SPU-35V "Redut" personnel would undergo a quick review of the capacities and operational procedures of their respective systems, dictated by instructors and specialists in the operation of the different components of the advanced soviet anti-shipping missile system.

They would learn and improve their capacity to engage hostile targets with this system known in the west as the "SSC-1 Sepal" and employing a land based SS-N-3 Shaddock. This AShM had, in their employed "c" version" a max. range of 407.4km.

The personnel would also be taught and instructed in the different procedures and technical aspects of linking with airborne maritime patrol aircraft such as those employed by the Egyptian Navy and Air Force.

 

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At the same time, the aircraft belonging to the Maritime Patrol and Airborne Air Control Squadrons, namely the Orion P-3B and the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye, would beign conducting training flights along the coasts on the mediterranean and red sea in order to practice medium and long range detection of surface targets of variable sizes.

They would set out from their bases and directly head towards open sea, starting flight circuits spanning from 50 to 100 nm from the coast line, and scanning their surroundings with the different instruments on board.

The radar and sensor operators would practice together with instructors and learn how to better calibrate and operate their instruments while at the same time improving their "classification" of targets.

Communication officers on board would practice relying the gathered data live over encrypted and secure channels to land based stations.

 

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The control and surveillance aircraft would succesfully detected and rely data on maritime traffic at a distance up to the max. available detection range. They would also practice emergency maneuvers simulating virtual "detections" by enemy airborne or surface radars. This would allow to increase the survival chance in case of being fired at. They would practice evasive maneuvers.

On land, operators of the different radar, target lock and firing components of the anti-shipping missile systems would practice receiving the data and programing it instantly into the fire computers. They would then proceed to launch the missiles against pre-determine targets using the given coordinates. The AShM would launch and directly fly towards their objective, running out of fuel few km before reaching them and falling into the water withouth any threat o the vessel. (No foreign ship would be used for this, only egyptian navy vessels)

 

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Training would continue. The operators of the Redut systems would each practice target acquisition and firing of the "dummy" missiles. They would work with a variety of pre-set targets simulating different sized vessels, heading at different speeds and directions. They would do so as to best narrow down their aim, an to optimize they on-board targeting systems of the employed anti-shipping missiles.

Above in the air, the training flights of the maritime patrol and control aircraft would continue. The E-2s would also practice the detection of aerial targets, to have experience if needed in having to intercept hostile carrier-launched combat aircraft.

This would all be done in secret.

 

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Training would proceed. The airborne control units would continue practicing the employment of different on-board systems and radars, incluidng SIGINT/ELINT elements where available, to detect transiting surface vessels as far away as possible and accurately determine their position, heading and velocity in order to fuel the land-based Anti-shipping missile units with precise data.

They would do so on different sized ships in the area, and the officials would also be accompanied by instructors who would help them improve their skills at differentiating and classifying the diverse targets in the best possible way.

The complete training would obviously be private and no media statements would be made regarding it.

 

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On the ground, procedures for linking with live-data streamed from the maritime patrol and control aircraft, setting up the target acquisitionand fire control computers would continue to be learned and improved by the egyptian personnel in char of operating the Redut Anti-shipping missile systems. This would continue to improve their operational effectiveness and increase their hit-ratio in cases of real combat situations.

Operators of all components of the Redut systems, radar, fire units data-links etc. would gain a considerable experience and mastery in the usage of this deadly anti-shipping system.

This, in tandem with an effective airborne detection protocol, would result in a considerable defensive weapon.

 

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The training process would continue, enhancing the egyptian capacity to exert area denial / area access over an important sector of the eastern portion of the Mediterranean Sea and the northen half of the Red Sea.

The egyptian anti-ship missiles are a significant threat to surface ships, which have large radar, radio, and thermal signatures that are difficult to suppress. Once acquired, a ship cannot outrun or out-turn a missile, the warhead of which can inflict significant damage.

All egyptian units involved in the present exercise would continue practicing and improving their capacity to operate jointly.

Radar/system operators on the P-3B Orion's would continue their training pushing the limits on the onboard AN/APS-115 radar, capable of detecting surface targets up to 370km away.

 

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Practice drills in the air and on land would continue. Personnel would also proceed with theoretical classes given by specialists on issues related to their area of competence. The goal of this would be to not only obtain a practical expertise but also back that up with theoretical knowledge, resulting in giving the trainees the capacity to use that knowledge to find new ways to evade obstacles and problems and be more efficient in performing their tasks.

The Maritime Patrol Aircraft and AEW crews would continue operating under different weather conditions and day/night cycles, while on the ground the personnel of each of the AShM Systems would be focused on enhancing their capacity on their specific duty within the System.

 

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The training drills and practices would continue in the air and on the land. The complexity of the tasks and processes the personnel are being put through would have increased to very high levels by now, evidencing the clear improvement in the performance of their jobs. This would result in a great operational capacity both in detection, classification and transmission of hostile elements from the air as well as the detection, targeting and engagement of hostile naval elements from the anti-shipping missile systems located on the egyptian coasts.

The exercise would now be nearing the end, and ready to be compatible with the newly created Egyptian National Guard.

 

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After several weeks of intenseive training and practice, complemented with theoretical instruction on real-life situations and scenarios, the ground crews of the different componentes that integrate a "Redut" System, and the crews of the naval and air force SIGINT/ELINT airborne control aircraft would have concluded the present program succesfully.

They would have drastically improved their operational capacity and effectiveness under combat situations (AShM-Units: Coastal Defence I and Airborne control units: AEW&C operations). The present training would give them an edge and advantage at the moment of operating their systems.

The units would return to their routine operations and continue their daily schedules of training and practice.