Egypt: Navies ready for active phase of Russian-Egyptian drills in Mediterranean Sea

Preparations for the active phase of the first ever joint Russian-Egyptian 'Friendship Bridge-2015' navy drills have been completed in Alexandria, Tuesday. Alexander Shwarz, commander of the Moskva missile cruiser, stated that "both crews were ready for the start of the exercises." As well as the Moskva, the Samum, a Bora-class guided missile hovercraft, the landing ship Alexander Shabalin, the tanker Ivan Bubnov, a Ka-27 helicopter and the tugboat MB-31 are all set to participate in the drills. The Egyptian navy will contribute two frigates - the Taba and the Damiyat, two patrol boats and two F-16 fighter jets. The ships will hold exercises on air defence and repelling attacks of small-size targets during the active phase of drills which will start in Mediterranean Sea on June 10. The drills are set to last eight days. The 'Friendship Bridge 2015' exercises are aimed at boosting military cooperation between the nations' navies, and promoting stability and security in the Mediterranean.