Russian Warships to Get NATO Comms Equipment

To help better coordinate with counter-piracy naval forces, Russian warships will be equipped with NATO navigation & communications systems

Russian warships will be equipped with NATO navigation and communications systems to improve coordination in anti-piracy missions around the world, Chief of the Russian General Staff Nikolai Makarov, as reported by Rianovosti News Agency.

The issue has been discussed during a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels.

“We decided to install standard NATO navigation and communications systems on our warships,” Makarov said.

NATO warships have been patrolling the pirate-infested waters off the Somali coast since 2008, as part of Operation Ocean Shield. NATO has recently extended its mission in the Gulf of Aden and adjacent areas until 2014.

Russia joined the international anti-piracy mission in the region in 2008. Russian warships have successfully escorted more than 130 commercial vessels from various countries since then.

Task forces from the Russian Navy, usually led by Udaloy class destroyers, operate in the area on a rotating basis.

A task force from Russia’s Northern Fleet, led by the Udaloy class destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov, will arrive in the Gulf of Aden in the beginning of May to join the anti-piracy mission.