US guided-missile destroyer Dewey and Russian corvettes in joint naval exercise
USA, February 18, 2025 – Possible participation of a Ukrainian delegation. In parallel with other ongoing diplomatic activities, Indonesia has organized an international naval exercise, to which American and Russian ships have also been invited. This is an opportunity for their joint training, unimaginable just a few weeks ago and during the three years of the conflict in Ukraine.
The Multinational Naval Exercise Komodo 2025 is scheduled to take place from February 15 to 22, 2025 near Bali and will not include combat training. It will exclusively include non-combat operations of the fleets in managing disasters and humanitarian crises, under the motto “Maritime Partnership for Peace and Stability.” – Maritime Partnership for Peace and Stability. Up to 39 countries will participate in the exercise, but it should be added that 34 foreign vessels have joined the 18 ships of the Indonesian Navy. There is also room for participation for states that do not have their own capabilities in the maritime domain, but for example only (functional) aerospace assets. In addition to the above-mentioned peacekeeping operations in the air, on water and on land, this year’s exercise also includes a forum for the exchange of officers, bilateral meetings between naval forces, an international symposium on maritime security, a defense exhibition and cultural tours.
This also includes performances by Indonesian Navy personnel and local artists, but the show was stolen even before the exercise began by Turkish President Erdogan, who sang the old Ottoman military march Mehter Marşı during his visit to Indonesia.
This peacekeeping format of the naval exercise, however underappreciated in land-based states, came in extremely handy due to the joint participation of Russia, the USA, and possibly China, India, Australia, Singapore, Turkey and other states.
For example, the prominent portal eurasiantimes.com published a report on a naval exercise involving Russia and the US in bold letters under the title BIG SHIFT! US, Russian Navy Warships Exercise Together; China, QUAD Nations Also Join Komodo 2025 – BIG SHIFT! US, Russian Navy Warships Exercise Together; China, QUAD Nations Also Join Komodo 2025.
In addition, the portal also notes the possibility that Komodo 2025 will become a platform for talks between Russia and Ukraine at some level, given the fact that a Ukrainian flag was also hoisted on board the Indonesian frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai (332) in the port of Benoa, Bali, at the time the exercise was planned.
The portal further quotes Russian Admiral Sergei Iosifovich Avakyants, former commander of the Russian Pacific Fleet, who pointed out that the key aspect is the countries involved and their agreement to cooperate in the exercise. He sees this as a significant change associated with recent shifts in foreign policy and the new direction of the United States.
Russia has sent two corvettes and a tanker to the exercise. The Steregushchiy-class corvette Rezkiy is almost brand new, having been commissioned on September 14, 2023. According to available Russian data, this particular ship has a full displacement of 2,200 tons, a length of 104.5 meters, a width of 13 meters and a draft of 7.95 meters. It is powered by four 16D49 diesel engines with a power of 24,000 horsepower, a maximum speed of 27 knots, an economic speed of 14 knots, at which the cruising range is 4,000 miles. The crew consists of 100 people, including 14 officers. The ship is armed with a 100 mm A-190 cannon with 332 rounds, two six-barreled AK-630M CIWS systems with a stock of 6,000 rounds, two quadruple Kh-35 “Uran” missile launchers and a Redut anti-aircraft complex, probably with 9M96 missiles. Also, portable anti-aircraft missiles of the Igla type MANPADS category and two quadruple Paket-NK torpedo tubes of 324 mm caliber. The armament is supplemented by a Ka-27PL helicopter and an Orlan-10 drone.
The sister ship of the corvette Rezkiy is somewhat older, the corvette Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov, which has been in service since December 25, 2020 and also belongs to the Seregushchiy class. The modern Russian corvette Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov, together with its sister ship Rezkij, belongs to the Pacific Fleet of the VMF.
Tanker Pecheneg during a long voyage in 2013:
From the American side, the modern Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Dewey (DDG-105), named after the hero of the Spanish-American War, a tactful reminder of the Monroe Doctrine, is participating in the exercise. The ship was commissioned on March 6, 2010, has a displacement of 9,200 tons, a length of over 155 meters and a speed of over 30 knots. The crew consists of 380 sailors and officers. The ship is interesting in that, in addition to its barrel, missile, torpedo armament and helicopters, it also has a combat laser. It uses a 127 mm Mk45 mod 4 cannon and one 20 mm Phalanx CIWS system. The barrel armament is supplemented by two 25 mm Mk 38 cannons and 4 12.7×99 mm machine guns.
Missile armament is concentrated in sections of the Mk 41 vertical launch device with 96 cells (32 in front and 64 in the back). They can contain anti-aircraft and anti-missile missiles such as RIM-66, RIM-156, RIM-174 standard ERAM, RIM-161, RIM-162 ESSM (four pieces per cell), BGM-109 cruise missiles or RUM-139 ASROC anti-submarine rocket torpedoes. The ship also has two triple Mark 32 torpedo tubes for 324 mm caliber light torpedoes. It has a hangar and a deck for two MH-60R helicopters. The armament is supplemented by an ODIN laser (Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy).
Older report on the installation of the ODIN combat laser on the destroyer USS Dewey:
Martin Scholz
