In 1985, Novorossiysk and her escorts sailed east into the Pacific before turning toward the Kuril Islands to simulate an enemy carrier strike against the Soviet Union. Bear reconnaissance aircraft helped vector about twenty Backfire bombers toward the group. The quoted naval report describes simulated air strikes and probable submarine attacks using torpedoes and cruise missiles. The exercise demonstrates the layered attack that Soviet forces expected to face and the reconnaissance and coordination needed to respond. Kiev-class ships in the Pacific Fleet could add defensive depth and help coordinate strikes around the Soviet bastions. A 1990 Air Power Journal account quotes the contemporary naval report secondhand; the earlier magazine article in that citation chain had not been checked directly.
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Novorossiysk tested a Soviet carrier strike and defence system
Novorossiysk simulated a hostile carrier group in a 1985 Pacific exercise involving Bear reconnaissance, Backfire bomber strikes, and reported probable submarine attacks.