Royal Navy a flutter over Russian aircraft carrier on way to Mediterranean

Run down of some of the western recce flights tracking the Kuznetsov Task Group.

RAF Tornado GR4 out of RAF Marham likely with RAPTOR recce pod.



Swedish Air Force SIGINT/ELINT Gulfstream IV. Prior to the following mission they had conducted a mission further north off Norway.



2 x US Navy P-8A Poseidon. At least one of them operating out of Keflavik,Iceland.



RAF C-130J operating out of RAF Brize Norton.



US Navy P-8A Poseidon operating out of Rota, Spain.

originally posted by: paraphi

originally posted by: Zaphod58
It's getting less crowded.

To be honest, the whole of the Mediterranean is amply covered by European (NATO) navies and air forces. The Eastern part has Turkey, the Greeks and the Brits (from Cyprus), so you can stick a carrier there if you like, but in the great scheme of things it's just a gesture.

Anyway, in my understanding the Russian carrier is not even allowed enter the Black Sea via the Bosporus Straits (as if there was any other way). This is a reason why Russia is so keen to keep the dictator Assad in power - lose him then they may lose their base.

its a desperate act of a desperate putin who knows his country is bankrupt in 6 months.

hillary looks like she gonna win, so he knows he is gonna get major sanctions increase, rate hike which will drop the price of oil.

so he is sabre rattling in the time he has left before he bankrupts russia, cuz he cant win the economic war.

6 months soldiers wont get paid in russia after putin bankrupts it.

Not often that you get to hear an aircraft carrier using Morse Code.

The Russian Navy still use quite a lot of Morse Code. Admiral Kuznetsov using Morse Code is quite rare. So far on this deployment I have only noted brief signals communications checks between the carrier and the Severomorsk naval base.

The following I recorded on 22nd October 2016 at 2240 GMT.

Press play at following link.

Morse Code from Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov call sign RHY73

8345 Kilohertz RIT DE RHY73 QSA 3 K

RIT is HQ Severomorsk in the Kola Peninsula
RHY73 is the Russian Navy aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov

The radio operator on the aircraft carrier can hear the Morse Code signal from HQ Severomorsk fairly good.

originally posted by: tommyjo
Not often that you get to hear an aircraft carrier using Morse Code.

You would have thought using a satellite phone would be easier and more secure. My mate used to have a car CB radio back in the 80's. I expect he's now go a mobile phone.

a reply to: paraphi

Morse for routine messages is a good practice. In a peer or near peer war, satellites are going to go fast. Having people that know Morse keeps you from being totally out of luck if you can't use that satellite phone.

a reply to: paraphi

they have to escort it with a tug boat cuz they worried its gonna break down.

originally posted by: paraphi

originally posted by: tommyjo
Not often that you get to hear an aircraft carrier using Morse Code.

You would have thought using a satellite phone would be easier and more secure. My mate used to have a car CB radio back in the 80's. I expect he's now go a mobile phone.

The Russians are sticklers for detail and don't like giving up old methods. It works to their advantage even in modern times so that they have all options covered. Think of an electromagnetic pulse environment or as Zaphod posted the loss of satellites? It works both ways for the Russian system in that they regularly send flash codeword messages on broadcast frequencies in Morse Code. The ships radio operators simply have to keep a listening watch and the ship/fleet react to the
pre-arranged codeword or short flash message sent. Apart from admin and weather messages they also use Morse to set up secure HF communications such as data and teleprinters, etc.

Even their new build Tu-95MS Bear Hs from the 1990s still regularly use Morse Code.

Note the Morse key in the corner of the radio ops station.

Tu-95MS Bear radio operator station

The image is from 2007 and they still use that HF frequency that is visible on the radios!

2016 news snippet from the Russian Ministry of Defence.

Eastern MD signal troops formation to hold contest among signalmen The contest for the best signalman will be held on the basis of the Eastern MD formation located in Buryatia Servicemen will have to deploy communication stations. Then they will compete in receiving and sending Morse code. The competition will involve over 200 servicemen of the Eastern MD formations and units. The winners will compete on the district level.

Russian MoD website link

Russian Army signalman pictured in a comms vehicle using the Morse key.

Russian Ministry of Defence news weblink

a reply to: Zaphod58

Ah, I was tongue in cheek. I appreciate morse is a reliable fall back, but...

originally posted by: bluerabbit7788
they have to escort it with a tug boat cuz they worried its gonna break down.

Maybe the tug has got the satellite phone.

The Royal Navy & others still use Aldis/signal lamps for ship to ship communications. My Dad's got one from the old aircraft carrier HMS Albion which he "acquired" as a souvenir before the ship got scrapped.

Better not let that be known too widely, the navy's so poor they might pay him a visit to ask for it back !

Breaking on Sky News UK.

Russia's Embassy in Spain says that the request for Russian warships to refuel in the Spanish port of Ceuta has been withdrawn.

Tanker Osipov is now in the Mediterranean off Morocco.

Tug Nikolay Chiker is heading for the Strait of Gibraltar. Position from a Morse Code weather message to Moscow during 12 UTC.

12464 Kilohertz RIW DE RAL48 26121 99359 70070 22222 @1248Z

35.9N 07.0W Heading East at 6-10 Knots

Map Link

goo.gl...

#AdmiralKuznetsov seen this morning from @kon_marine vessel HNLMS Rotterdam, somewhere between Sicily and Libya

Kuznetsov image from Dutch warship

Twitter Link

Overhead image of Kuznetsov from GeoEye-1 satellite from last Friday. (Published 31st October)

Satellite image of carrier Admiral Kuznetsov

From

Digital Globe Link