MOSCOW, March 11 (RIA Novosti) - Air-defense units of Russia’s Airborne Forces (VDV) will conduct about 30 battery-level tactical exercises between March 11 and 28, Defense Ministry spokesman Alexander Kucherenko said on Monday.

A total of 60 missile launches will be made from man portable antiaircraft missile systems (MANPADS), over 10 launches from Strela-10M (SA-13 Gopher) mobile antiaircraft missile systems and more than 40 firings from ZU-23 antiaircraft gun systems, Kucherenko said.

All combat training missions will be carried out using the Barnaul-T automated command and control system, he said.

About 1,000 servicemen from VDV missile units as well as assault and army aviation subdivisions will participate in a series of exercises in Krasnodar Territory, south Russia.