USS Ross joins German aircraft for Baltic Sea exercises

Nov. 30 (UPI) -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Ross completed air defense exercises, with NATO fighter planes from Germany, in the Baltic Sea, the U.S. Navy announced.

"German Eurofighter F2000 aircraft from NATO Air Command conducted a series of flyovers while Ross' air-intercept controllers directed the aircraft in a series of tactical air defense exercises," Navy officials said.

The ship conducted similar maneuvers last week with Italian F2000 aircraft and with F-16s of the Portuguese air force in September.

"Air defense exercises like these provide us with a unique opportunity for our watch standers to train in a dynamic environment," Cmdr. John D. John, commanding officer of the USS Ross, said in a press release on Sunday.

"Being able to conduct these exercises with our NATO Allies provides all of us with the opportunity to maintain our warfighting readiness and improve interoperability," John said.

Like all Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, the USS Ross is equipped with vertical launching systems for Tomahawk and Harpoon missiles, as well as torpedoes and guns.

Based at Rota, Spain, the vessel has spent the year in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations, notably in the Baltic, Barents and Black seas.