SEVASTOPOL, July 19. /TASS/. The combat crew of the Admiral Makarov frigate hit a target in the Black Sea, firing a Shtil surface-to-air missile system during drills, Black Sea Fleet Spokesman Captain 2nd Rank Alexei Rulev said on Friday.

"Under the drill's scenario, the personnel of the Utyos [coastal defense] system were assigned with the task of detecting a notional enemy’s naval group and shooting it down with missiles. In turn, the crew of the Admiral Makarov frigate was required to take the bearings of the missile using detection tools and strike it with the Shtil surface-to-air missile system," the spokesman said.

"During the drills, the Utyos combat crew fired a Progress target missile while the shipborne teams struck the target at a designated distance and altitude by two missile launches," he said.

The missile firings, the tracking of the target missile and its destruction were recorded by unmanned aerial vehicles.

The sea range where missile firings were conducted was sealed off for shipping for security reasons. A total of 17 combat ships and support vessels and also aircraft of the Black Sea Fleet’s naval aviation were engaged in sealing off the sea range.