According to information published by Tass on February 27, 2023, warships from South Africa, Russia, and China are holding the active phase of the Mosi-2 joint trilateral naval exercise in the Indian Ocean, the South African Defense Ministry said.
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Chinese Navy's Type 052DL destroyer Huainan. (Picture source: Russian MoD)
The warships train elements of the operations worked out during the preparatory stage of the drills that began on February 17. During the active phase, the navymen from Russia, South Africa, and China will conduct artillery fire, repel a notional enemy’s air attacks, carry out counterterror measures and tactical maneuvering, and render assistance to a vessel in distress. The active phase of the joint trilateral naval exercise will ends on February 27.
The drills are running in the waters between the port city of Durban and Richards Bay located at a distance of 87 nautical miles (160 kilometers) from each other. Russia is represented by the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the Kama tanker.
China is represented by the destroyer Huainan, a frigate, and a support ship, and South Africa by a frigate and two auxiliary ships. Russia has the status of the lead country in the drills.
Commander of the Russian force Oleg Gladky denied previous reports that Admiral Gorshkov may fire Zircon hypersonic missile during the naval exercise.
The first such trilateral naval exercise took place off South Africa’s southwestern Atlantic coast near Cape Town in November 2019.
About the Chinese destroyer Huainan
The ship has a displacement of 7,500 tons at full load, with a length of 161 meters (528 feet), a beam of 17.5 meters (57 feet), and a draught of 6 meters (20 feet). The propulsion system of the ship is a combined diesel or gas system. The complement of the ship consists of 280 personnel.
The destroyer's armament includes a 130 mm gun, an HQ-10 short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) 24-cell launcher, a 64-cell vertical launching system (VLS), an HHQ-9 SAM, a YJ-18 anti-ship missile (ASM), a CY-5 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) rocket, and a Type 1130 close-in weapon system (CIWS).
