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NSS translation and commentary
On April 11, 2018, Business Insider posted an analysis of Russian air defences in an article ominously titled “Russia's newest anti-air defences are in Syria — and the US should be worried.” The author states “Russia's air defences are significantly more capable than American counterparts, especially when working together.” It is clear that the authors of the article appearing in our translation below are eager to see how Russian air defences measure up against US cruise missiles. Far from discouraging them, Trump has in fact given them a rare testing ground for their new defences and an opportunity to attract arms buyers if things work out well for the Russians. An article from RIA Novosti of April 9 reported that Russia has sent 40 Pantsir air defence systems to Syria ahead of the planned US attack that Trump has promised. Below is our translation of an article from Vzglyad showing what we can expect of Trump’s attack on Syria should it materialize. BEGIN TRANSLATION The S-400 and Pantsir are preparing for a grandiose test in Syria The battle in the Syrian sky will show the extent to which our missile defence system has learned to shoot down the notorious "Tomahawks." April 11, 2018, 21:35 By Yuri Zainashev and Mikhail Moshkin Syria, before our very eyes, is turning into a stage on which a grand military performance will be held - deflection of the mass attack with American cruise missiles by Russian air defence systems. Who will eventually be the winner – the Tomahawks or S-400 and Pantsir-S1 systems? What will be considered a success for each of the parties? The reputation of Russian weapons is at stake, but not only that. Combat test drive on a world scale "Russian air defence systems in Syria have an opportunity to show everything they are capable of," a source close to the Russian Defence Ministry commented to the newspaper VZGLYAD. This kind of test is worth a lot, the source notes. "For the military all over the world, this will be an extremely important lesson - the analysis of this strike and its deflection will long be handled by the headquarters of all the leading military powers of the world," the general believes. Another subject of analysis will be how the electronic warfare complexes (EW) work when deflecting missile strikes. The general points out that the amount of resources and time the enemy spends on countering air defences is important. In his view, Russia has brought to the Arab Republic "a lot of different air defence systems, from the most remote acting to close-up acting." And for modern air defence systems, non-manoeuvring cruise missiles do not pose a particular problem. "As I understand, they also brought a sufficient number of the electronic warfare (EW) complexes there," he says. According to his forecast, our air defences should as a result perform at a rating of "four". It is worth noting that the battle in Syria in the next few days and hours will be the first battle in the history of the world in which a mass attack with cruise missiles is deflected. Everything that military experience has encountered at the moment is either tests or single launches of air defence systems. It can be said that Soviet air defence experts have been preparing for this for more than 60 years - since the first anti-aircraft missile systems appeared after World War II. The military doctrine of the USSR placed a special bet on them for understandable reasons, and the most famous success of Soviet anti-aircraft gunners was the destruction of an American U-2 aircraft in the 60s of the last century. After that, the Americans could no longer enter Soviet airspace with impunity. And let’s not forget about the thousands of American aircraft destroyed by Soviet anti-aircraft systems in Vietnam. Soviet and then Russian air defence systems deserve to be considered the best in the world, but they have never had a chance to test their capabilities with a real (non-training) missile strikes of this magnitude. And now, it seems, the moment of the decisive test has come - not only for specific officers, Russian and Syrian, but for the entire Russian school of air defence. Success will be a "coefficient of 0.9-" The number of downed enemy missiles is not an end in itself, Lieutenant-General Alexander Gorkov, head of the air defence missile forces in 2000-2008, remarked in conversation with the newspaper VZGLYAD. He stressed: "The air defence forces are designed to completely preserve the object. Therefore, if only one of the 100 rockets is shot down, but the one that flew exactly to the target, and thanks to this the object survived, this is considered a success. " But there are objective criteria for anti-aircraft gunners. "In the case of cruise missiles travelling at extremely low altitudes, the efficiency should be at least 0.85-0.90, noted Gorkov. This indicator means the probability of a target being hit by one missile. The number of intercepted targets is divided by the total number of missiles fired. For example, lieutenant-general Aitech Bizhev, former deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force on issues of the CIS Joint Air Defence System, explained earlier to the portal "Economy Today" that less than 0.7 means low efficiency; 0.8 and above - good, 0.9 (https://rueconomics.ru/). As an example, Bizhev cited the result of the Syrian air defence forces, which recently repulsed the attack of Israeli aircraft. The F-15 planes fired eight missiles and the Syrians intercepted five of them. Thus, the coefficient was 0.6, that is 60% of the missiles shot down. This result is not very gratifying, lamented Bizhev. However, the expert of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (ACT) Vasily Kashin believes that the destruction of 50-60% of US missiles would be a huge success for Russian weapons. In fact, he added, even the destruction of 30% can be considered a great success, if we bear in mind both Russian and Syrian air defence forces. It should be taken into account that the Syrians used old systems, notes Bizhev [NSS note: the msm reported that the obsolete S-200 system was usedto defend against Israeli missiles]. And the newest S-400 air defence systems are located at Russian facilities - the Khmeimim base and in Tartus. According to the Lieutenant-General, the efficiency of the S-400 for high speed targets that are hard to pinpoint is 0.9, that is excellent, at 90%. Kashin recalls: in addition to our ground-based air defence in Syria there will be two Russian frigates with the "Shtil-1" complex, which is anchored off the coast of Syria. "Each of them has a vertical launch pad for 24 anti-aircraft missiles," the expert reminded VZGLYAD. The problem is that modern Russian air defence systems cover only Russian facilities in Syria, and the Syrian air defence itself is rather weak, Kashin points out. In his opinion, air defence provide cover with a total of only a few dozen systems in Syria, and the rest of the country is defenceless. They are fighting not with a number, but with a very large number. Potential buyers of weapons following the outcome of this conflict will draw conclusions about which weapon systems are more effective - American cruise missiles or Russian air defence systems. For a correct assessment, it is important to consider how many missiles are fired at the covered targets. "If the enemy uses a huge number of missiles, for example, more than 200, then you cannot know exactly how many missiles will be on the target. Miracles do not happen, "Kashin said. He adds that it is impossible to completely deflect such a strike. "For example, let’s say there are 100 air targets, and for each we fire two anti-missiles. With this amount you need to have a very large amount of munitions. Is there such a large number of missiles in the arsenal of the grouping deployed in Syria? "Asks General Alexander Gorkov. "The combat component of the S-300 division is 32 missiles (and eight launchers) or 48 missiles, if 12 units are available," the general points out. "If two rockets are used for each launch, the missiles will be sufficient for 16 or 24 launches, respectively." If the coefficient of 0.9 is observed in these launches, this will be evaluated as a success, including by potential buyers of Russian weapons. Meanwhile, it is necessary to calculate the nearest probable future - how the American operation in Syria can develop. The script as a whole is understandable, believes Vzglyad’s source close to the Ministry of Defence. He predicts that the first waves of cruise missiles will be released in the near future by two destroyers, which are already in the Eastern Mediterranean. "They can fire their old Tomahawks, and after that the US they use smart missiles, as promised by Donald Trump," the expert notes. The goal is clear - it is necessary that the defending side expend the munitions of anti-aircraft guided missiles (SAMs). After that, apparently, the Americans expect to "fire from other ships with impunity, including from an aircraft carrier," but that's not until early May, when it arrives in the region. As the newspaper Vzglyad reported, on Wednesday a shock group led by the aircraft carrier Harry Truman sailed from the base of Norfolk for the Persian Gulf. "If we proceed from the fact that there will be a strike several times more powerful than the strike at the Shayrat base (where 60 rockets were fired), then, apparently, it will be hundreds of cruise missiles," suggested Kashin. In addition, it must be taken into account that the US can use a blockade of Syrian ports, in order, for example, to stop the supply of munitions, the same cruise missiles - to reload anti-aircraft complexes. "Now it is clear that there will be a strike. There is time to prepare for deflection,” sums up the general. “The flight time of the rockets is known. The sites of the strikes are also fairly well known. There is time to rearrange air defence assets, mark out and designate cover zones, prepare munitions for firing, and deploy personnel." END TRANSLATION Link to this article in Russian: https://vz.ru/politics/2018/4/11/917152.html
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NSS staff translations and comments
President Trump has promised that the Syrian government will pay a “big price” for doing something that they did not do. Anyone who has followed the reports by Vanessa Beeley and Eva Bartlett (follow on Twitter @VanessaBeeley and @EvaKBartlett) knows that the Western corporate media have been lying about Syria for years, and if you have read our article on the false flag chemical attack in E. Ghouta, you know this is a dangerous hoax that could be a prelude to war with Russia. Judging by the reader comments at the end of msm articles, it appears that the public, including once-loyal Trump voters, is no longer buying the false-flag lies. This will therefore not be a rerun of Trump’s Shayrat attack last year. It could backfire. Given the imminent danger of a strike on Syria by the US and/or allies like France and Israel, you should know at least the following military details from Russian-language, Chinese-language and English-language sources so that you can assess the seriousness of the situation. Following below is our translation from Russian of a report in Riafan.ru: BEGIN TRANSLATION The US is transferring the US Navy strike group with an aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean, media have reported. It is known that the air group will leave Norfolk on Wednesday. The US Navy strike group, led by the aircraft carrier Harry Truman, is being sent to the Mediterranean Sea, world media reported. The US Navy air strike group will reportedly leave from Norfolk on Wednesday and travel to the Mediterranean. In addition to the aircraft carrier Harry Truman, the group will include seven more ships, and two destroyers and the USS The Sullivans and USS Jason Dunham will join later. END TRANSLATION Southfront reports today: http://wtkr.com/2018/04/09/harry-s-truman-carrier-strike-group-to-deploy-wednesday/ "A Russian Su-35 multi-role air superiority fighter armed with what looks like Kh-35 cruise anti-ship missiles has just been spotted over the Syrian city of Tartus.” Below is our translation of a comprehensive article in the Chinese military journal Junshi (normally, Junshi is only published in Chinese and is rarely presented in translation in the Western press). BEGIN TRANSLATION What Syrian targets can the US strike? The Assad family private airport is on the list 2018/04/10 On April 9, 2018, local time, US President Trump announced that he would make a “significant decision” in the next 24 to 48 hours in response to the CW attack in the East Ghouta region in Syria. If that "significant decision" refers to a new round of strikes against the Syrian government forces, what are the possible goals of the action? According to Israel’s i24NEWS television station citing US officials, the Pentagon has submitted to Trump a series of options for air raids and targets, including naval warships launching Tomahawk cruise missiles and B-52 strategic bombers air-launching AGM- 86C/D cruise missiles to be used outside the theatre to attack, or use of B-2, F-22 and other stealth aircraft to bomb the Syrian territory. Another analysis pointed out that the most likely to be hit by the U.S. military are the three important military airports located near Damascus, Syria. Of these, the preferred target is the Shayrat Air Base, located about 30 kilometres southeast of Homs. It was this base that was attacked on April 7, 2017 by 59 U.S. cruise missiles. According to Russian media reports on the attacks, the Syrian Army has stepped up repairs in the past seven weeks, and the base has basically resumed the function of airport operations in late May of the same year. According to foreign media, if the U.S. military launches a new round of strikes, the highest strike priority will still be Shayrat Air Base. The original Syrian Air Force Base had three squadrons of Syrian Air Forces, and there were dozens of MiG-23 and Su-22 fighter planes. In September 2015, Russian military engineers began to refurbish the airport. In addition to the original 3,000-meter main runway, the Russians expanded and reinforced another 3000-meter-long alternate runway to accommodate large Russian transporters and long-range bombers. According to a Jane’s Defence Weekly report, the Russians had sent eight Mi-24/35 attack helicopters, one Mi-8/17 helicopter, and an unknown number of Ka-52 and Mi-28 attack helicopters to the base. A Russian artillery unit equipped with six 152-mm howitzers is also stationed here to support the Syrian 18th Panzer Division that attacked [terrorists at] the ancient city of Palmyra. According to the Journal of Defence and Diplomacy Strategic Policy [this is a direct translation from the Chinese, no such journal found], the Shayrat Air Force Base is Russia's "material transit hub" in Syria (a large number of Russian-made rocket launchers and TOS-1 flame thrower tanks are sent here to various fronts in Syria). Its status and role are second in importance only to the Hmeimim Air Base near Latakia (effectively reducing the congestion of the latter). In addition, the airport is also tasked with refuelling, overhauling, and resupplying ammunition for Russian, Syrian and Iranian air force aircraft participating in the war. The second target is the Dumayr Airbase, located 42 kilometers east of Damascus, Syria, which is Syria’s second largest military airport with 52 steel-reinforced concrete hangars (8 of which are underground) and one 3100 meter long runway. In terms of statistics, Dumayr Airbase was formerly home to the Syrian Air Force 67th fighter squadron with multiple MiG-23MLs, Su-22M2 fighters, and Mi-24 attack helicopters deployed there. It also has a Russian-made Pantsir-S1 [NSS note: The Pantsir is a comination cannon-missile air defence system, very economical and capable of shooting down a larger number of incoming threats than the S-400 or S-300 could]. The powerful anti-aircraft firepower network is the main frontline airport for the Syrian Army to support the East Ghouta's ground combat against a single strike, this base is likely to be included in the US military's "blacklist" of key targets. Not long ago, Dumayr Air Force underwent an attempted attack. When the Eastern Ghouta Battle began in late February 2018, a large quantity of heavy equipment of the Syrian troop "Tiger Force" was stored in Dumayr Air Force Base. On the evening of February 24th, the Israeli Air Force dispatched five air-to-surface missiles to the base. The result was interception by Syrian air defence forces, preventing the “tiger troops” from being “unjustly killed.” The third-priority target is the Mezzeh Military Airport located 6 kilometres southwest of Damascus, capital of Syria. It has 22 hangars (including 5 key guards [uncertain of translation]) and a 2700-meter-long runway with multiple MiG- 21, MiG-23 fighter jets and Mi-24 attack helicopters, Mi-17 transport/armed helicopters and the legal [sic] “Little Oryx” helicopter gunship. The Karzai Airport is also an important strategic facility for the Syrian Army. It is mainly responsible for transportation, transfer of personnel and materials, and is called the Syrian Army "wartime logistics centre." According to another disclosure by Reuters, the airport is still a private airport of the Assad family because of its proximity to the capital. It is usually under the tight control of the elite forces of the Syrian Republic Guard, special forces, and air force intelligence agencies, and has deployed Sam-6 air defences, missiles and ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" self-propelled artillery. After the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War, the Karzai Airport was used by the Syrian Army as an artillery position to fight opposition forces operating on the outskirts of the capital. On January 13, 2017, Israel launched airstrikes on the airport, hitting an ammunition depot and causing a violent explosion, allegedly to combat the Lebanese Hezbollah armed targets in the base. END OF TRANSLATION Original site: http://new.qq.com/omn/20180410/20180410A12FML.html
NSS staff
Putin warned us in his speech to the Russian General Assembly that Russia has arms that render much of the US arsenal obsolete. He illustrated the new ones with a giant screen clearly showing their devastating heretofore-unknown capabilities, including the hypersonic missile Kinzhal that zeroes in on its target at 5 times the speed of sound, and the latest variant of its top MIRV ICBM, the Sarmat RS-28, which has a top flight speed of 4.3 miles per second, or 15,480 mph, and carries up to 15 warheads that can wipe out a territory equivalent in size to the state of Texas. Putin is not trying to start an arms race or break the US' bank, far from it. But as he keeps saying, no one listens to him. He was trying, in his presentation to the Gen Assembly, to show the US that there is no other way but to negotiate. But Washington has meanwhile chosen to continue breaking the bank, spending several times more than any other country – half the US budget – on defence, and some economists now believe it is over for the economy now that another trillion has been added to the debt, thanks to the irresponsibility of both parties. Obviously, there is an end to everything, and, thanks to America’s corrupt “defence” procurement culture, in addition to profligate spending on other items, there is no good option for reducing the debt bubble. QE4 (more money “printing”) would devalue the US dollar significantly, and this at a time when China is threatening counter-measures to Trump’s one-man trade war – measures that could quite well include a massive sell-off of Treasuries by China. Russia could follow suit. War would not help because many Americans would die in a conflict that could easily go nuclear (although John Bolton is threatening to attack Iran, which is bristling with missiles big and small and also with Russian air defence systems designed to bring down US planes and missiles). The trouble with the US is not just the Deep State but alo Americans, who seem unable to shake the old image of the US as the indispensable nation that must keep other states in line. A visit to the Breitbart reader forum illustrates why all presidents are permanently beholden from here to eternity to the whims of a populace that is incapable of living in a nation that, despite its own disastrous governance, does not control global affairs and would never accept a cut in the defence budget no matter what the cost. Thus if the US ever changes its mind about bearing the title of Hegemon Forever, that change will necessarily come not from within but from without. Putin was trying to show that the money spent on air defence was wasted and that it is high time the US sat across the bargaining table from it to reduce nuclear arms. He made that clear in the Megyn Kelly interview when he feigned blowing the cash out of his hand, saying all air defences were money blown away with the wind. The new defence budget requests $21.9 billion for shipbuilding, even though naval experts ought to know that each one of the new and refurbished ships can be blown inexorably out of the water within minutes, regardless of their coordinates, by the Kinzhal, and there is nothing anyone can do to prevent this because even if that missile travelled at a conventional speed, it snakes around existing defences, creating an unpredictable and non-interceptable trajectory at dazzling speeds beyond all potentials of known anti-air defences to intercept it. This is true of aircraft carriers as well, implying possible destruction of the carrier plus up to 75 on-board aircraft. But Trump has never been motivated by reality but rather by the impact of his own bombast on mindless audiences. Thus he missed Putin’s point and opted for spending more on now-obsolete arms and ships. As the excerpt from our earlier post on defence costs shows, most defence spending is aimed solely at filling the pockets of contractors. The reason for this is clear if we look at the amounts spent by Lockheed-Martin, General Dynamics and others on political candidates and PACs. Open Secrets reports that defence contractors spent a total of $127,335,211 on lobbying last year and sent 788 former government servants into their own work force as a reward for squandering tax payer money. Most of the money goes to decision makers in defence procurement, almost all of them Neocon/Neoliberal war hawks. Clearly this is not lobbying, it is bribery, and the fact that Russia and China do not allow this corrupt system is why fewer and fewer international defence customers are buying American and more and more are buying Russian at deep deep prices by comparison. This is one main reason why almost every MENA country purchased considerable amounts of Russian arms last year, as we documented here. But beyond this, an increasing number of Americans know that the defence lobby owns our government and our economy and will squeeze us to death eventually. They are the government. Here is a translation we posted in July 2017 showing that the main goal of US defence spending has nothing to do with defending the US but is to reward the lobbyists for their largesse to candidates: http://www.newsilkstrategies.com/military-affairs/arms-expert-us-goal-is-to-spend-money BEGIN TRANSLATION F-35 disaster: The point is to spend money ... to send it to Lockheed Pierre Sprey, the "father" of the air power that makes the US makes great today, that is, the F16 and A10, issues a crushing verdict on the so highly acclaimed Lockheed Martin F-35. by Viribus Unitis Pierre Sprey was born in Nice in 1937; his family fled to the USA in 1940, when he was 3 years old, to escape the Nazis who occupied France. There he worked as an analyst and program organizer in the Ministry of Defense. The now infamous Fairchild A10 "Warthog" are from a program that he initiated. The German combat pilot Colonel Rudel helped develop the A10. he was very intensively involved in programs such as the F-16, and was critically involved with the F-15. When he talks about planes and their ability to fight, he knows what he’s talking about. From minute 03:45, assesses Sprey: "it's hopeless in a dogfight." You can guarantee that a 1950s designed MiG 21 or a Mirage, will just hopelessly whip the F-35. In dogfighting it (the F35) is hopeless. You can assume that, guaranteed, the MiG 21 or the French Mirage, developed in the 1950s, will hopelessly outmaneuver the F-35." “From minute 07:30,” Pierre Sprey says in response to a question. “The point is to spend money. This is the mission of the airplane. It is for Congress to send money to Lockheed. This is the true mission of the aircraft." END OF TRANSLATION According to Bloomberg, the just-passed defence budget includes 77 F-35s for a total of $10.7 billion. The Russian counterpart, Su-35 is rated as a more manoeuverable and faster (F-35 1.60 Mach vs Mach 1.726 for the su-35). After the F-35 first came out, it sold for USD180.000.000 a piece vs the Su-35’s price of USD75.000.000. The Fiscal Times reports that the total cost over the life of the planes will be over USD1.5 trillion. While development costs for Russia are unavailable, it is safe to say that Russia has nowhere near that kind of money to develop a plane. aNSS translation preceded by our commentary.
We sometimes get complaints from Americans that our articles are too bleak. The thing is, by contrast to the Western msm and politicians, we do not specialize in fiction. We tell it as we see it. These Americans’ complaints are like those of a gravely ill man with serious disorders in all his bodily systems who receives a diagnosis from his doctor and then complains that the doctor never gives him any good news. America is sick in all of its functional systems, from military to economic, to social and educational, from the media and politics to the financial system. Of course, all of these things can be fixed. The only drawback is that very few Americans want to know what is wrong with them, preferring to focus on how exceptional and indispensable their nation is, and as long as they remain indifferent to the major issues, nothing will get fixed. They want to party on and want the authorities to take care of it. But the authorities suffer from the very same ills as they do. The Saker (must read!), writing about Putin’s scary speech before the Russian General Assembly, really hit the nail on the head: “…. the difference between Putin’s Russia and Trump’s USA is as simple as it is stark: Russia spends her money on defence, the USA spends its money on enriching corrupt politicians and businessmen. With that set of parameters, the USA doesn’t stand a chance in any arms race, irrespective of the talent and patriotism of US engineers or soldiers.” Trump had said several times in his campaign speeches that he wanted to build up the military to the point that “nobody will ever mess with us again.” Those in the know realized that the US was already spending on defence more than all other countries combined and that none of their military failures were due to a lack of effective weapons, so these words were nonsense. But now, Trump has raised military spending even more, to dizzying levels, and since Putin’s arms speech, much of this program looks useless in view of Russia’s new weapons, against which the US has no defences. This source reports on the components of the roughly $600 billion base budget for 2018-2019. The first 2 of the 7 line items are slightly boosted personnel and more salaries. No military advantage. The 3rd item is a “Missile Defeat and Defence Enhancement initiative” aimed at air defences against missiles. The Kinzhal and the hypersonic ICBM Putin mentioned will, if accurately described, make these “enhancements” useless because at their hypersonic speeds, these Russian missiles cannot be intercepted by any known system. This air defence equipment is money literally thrown away. The 4th is procurement of preferred and advanced munitions. The 5th is modernization of equipment for Army Armored Brigade Combat Team. Russia now has 20,216 tanks vs 5,884 for the US (source: here). “Modernization” does not necessarily mean increased numbers. Even so, Russia’s superior missiles can be used to target this armour as well. No. 6: Buy 10 combat ships. The Kinzhal, if accurately described by Putin, can destroy every one of them and there is no defence against it. It can also destroy every aircraft carrier and every plane carried thereon. The US surface Navy is now obsolete. No. 7: Increased production of aircraft that cost about 3 times as much each as their Russian counterparts and are not superior. So what's the answer? For now, the US must sit down at the bargaining table and learn to listen as well as talk. The following is NSS’s translation of an article from riafan.ru. BEGIN TRANSLATION The State Duma has responded to the Pentagon's statement about the ability of US submarines to destroy Russia By Ilya Muromsky 9 March 2018 https://riafan.ru/p/1033385 In the State Duma a tough response was delivered to the Pentagon about the ability of US submarines to destroy Russia The Chairman of the Strategic Command of the US Armed Forces, General John Hyten, at a budget hearing in the House Committee on the Armed Services, said that the United States could respond to any attack by Russia. "We are ready for all the threats that exist, and no one should doubt it," said Hyten. According to the US military, in addition to a massive attack on the United States, Russia is unable to do anything that Washington cannot respond to. "By the way, they (Russia - FAN) do not know where our submarines are, and they are capable of destroying their country if we go down this road," added Hyten. Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Defence Committee Yuri Shvytkin commented to FAN on the Pentagon's statement. "The United States is once again showing aggressive character and rhetoric. This statement once again confirms the need to strengthen our country’s defence capability. We have never stated that we are going to attack someone. Our doctrine is defensive in nature and is based on those opportunities and threats that can come from abroad. Vladimir Putin in his message publicly announced examples of the newest types of weapons, some of which have already been added or will be added to the arsenal of the Russian military.” “Regarding those submarines, which we supposedly cannot see, I want to point out that this is wishful thinking on the part of the American general. We have sufficient forces to repel a possible attack from the sea, including from below the surface. We have a response. The American Generals’ statement is another product of fantasy. I personally feel bad about those words, about the rhetoric coming from the American general.” “We are not going to attack anyone, but we will turn back the aggression of any enemy. The main message of Vladimir Putin's message, the part devoted to the latest weapons, is that we do not want war, we want peace. Everyone should realize this. The US, instead of sabre-rattling, must understand this and sit down at the negotiating table. But we will not allow anyone to talk with us from a position of strength,” Yury Shvytkin explained.” END TRANSLATION By Vince Dhimos
Serious commentators are now saying war in the Middle East is inevitable. If you look at the reasons why they think so, it is pretty scary. The facts certainly suggest war. A few such commentaries can be found here and here. The author linked here thinks the Saudis, the US and Israel will attack Syria. The latter proposition sounds a little too surreal to be true and it is unlikely that those three nations would join forces because their own people would not likely back them. (We commented previously that the Saudi royals fear their own people more than anything else). The Saudis have had some publicity lately that may have hurt them with their own people, notably, a leaked cable showing that the Saudis and Israel have been eyeing an official military alliance against Iran. While the bloody Saudi dictators get along fine with kindred-spirit Israel, for the anti-Jewish Saudi people, it is not kosher – or rather not halal, to have their government get too cozy with that country. What’s worse, the entire Muslim world has been turned against the US because of Trump’s plan to help the Judeo-Christian God out by moving the US embassy to Jerusalem (we had explained here why this is not at all scriptural, but US politicians and voters have a way of making the scriptures say what they want them to. See the post-script at the end). At any rate, this is a bad time for Saudi to be schmoozing with Israel so said alliance is unlikely. On the other hand, the Russian Federation recently announced that it was withdrawing much of its military personnel from Syria. It has already done so to a large extent. Meanwhile the US has announced quite the opposite. It is staying put and will keep all its bases. It has also been reported here and in the Turkish, Russian and Middle Eastern press, to be training remnants of defeated anti-government militia, including “former” ISIS fighters, notably at a refugee camp in the Khaseq governate (frequently misspelled as Hasakah). America has a war habit it just can’t shake and a fatal love affair with terrorists. Could Russia be so naïve as to allow these US-trained militias to continue the fight to oust Assad? Let’s see. For one thing, despite the withdrawal, Russia has left military bases in Syria and someone is certainly manning them. Besides that, the Russians had also announced a withdrawal previously, with great fanfare, but within a short time, they were back operating full force in Syria in support of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA). Of course, the Russian defence ministry has also promised that, should terrorists return to the Syrian battlefield, they are prepared to redeploy their personnel and materiel. Moreover, Russia has been training Syrian pilots and has delivered modern aircraft to the Syrians. The Syrian Arab Army’s Facebook page proudly displays an action video of an MiG29Sy fighter based on a late model MiG upgrade. The operators of that Facebook page (not official representatives of the SAA but knowledgeable about its activities) told me in personal correspondence that the Russians were called in only at a critical time when ISIS and Al-Qaeda were still strong and that, now that their power is broken, the Syrians are confident they can go it alone. However, the problem is probably not Assad this time. The Iranians seem to be the target. As is usual when the US accuses a country of something, a war narrative is being set up. There are two important narratives supporting a future attack on Iran. The first is intended for “conservative” consumption and is based on the simplistic reason that Obama was the one responsible for negotiating the deal with Iran, and for many Trump voters, Obama is just plain evil and could do no good. This necessarily means that Iran is developing a nuke (although no evidence exists. It’s like Russiagate. Who needs evidence when you have a narrative promoted by billionaires?) Therefore, the Iran deal must be bad for the US and must be undone (who knows whether the Trumpies are even aware that without Iranian boots on the ground, the terrorists would still control much of Syria and Iran?). The fact that the Europeans are ok with the Iran nuclear deal is further “proof” that it simply must be a bad deal because the Europeans are also evil in their minds. After all, they initially refused to fight Iraq during Bush’s just war against that country, and while Trump had dissed Bush for that war, he seems to be having no qualms about setting up another war on the same kind of flimsy grounds. And of course, the waffling indecisive Trump is an absolute god to this large personality cult. The other part of the narrative is the fact that the Saudis claim to have found “evidence” of Iranian weapons used by the Houthis to defend against the bloody Saudi dictators whom Americans are all supposed to patriotically support because they support us (meaning Israel). Americans must support them so that they can hold their heads up high and claim patriotism and loyalty to the government, which if they thought it over, they would realize is just the opposite of what Trump-the-candidate taught. That Trump was anti-Deep State and opposed to war. But since that anti-war Trump is now for war, then war must be necessary because the anti-war hero Americans love is for it now. Get it?And besides, Trump went and sword danced with the Saudis, so they must be just a bunch of fun-loving guys. Our series “Making the Saudis great again” here, here and here shows the real reason the US billionaires who control you love the Saudis). By the same token, Americans are supposed to hate the Houthis, a small group of Shia (patriotic Americans are supposed to hate all Shia) in Yemeni, whose men, women and children are being bombed from the air by the Saudis and are also being starved to death in what groups like the UN and Human Rights Watch are calling a desperate humanitarian crisis. But Trump followers know that these organizations are bad because they did not approve the Iraq War which Trump-the-candidate did not like. Again, the logic is clear for an amazingly high percentage of Americans. So as in the Iraq war, a rumour of weapons of mass destruction is the motive which is legitimate this time because the peace-loving Trump says so. Trust him. Relevant reading: Read this quote from Jesus very carefully: 37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered they children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! This is prophetic: 38. For I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Matt. 23:37 Now ask yourself: Has Jerusalem said "blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord"? And this: Speaking of the temple at Jerusalem: Verily I say unto you, there shall not be one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Was Jesus blessing or condemning Jerusalem? Would He have commanded his followers to fight to make it the capital of a country that rejected him? Has this country said "blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord"? http://www.newsilkstrategies.com/opinion/making-saudi-arabia-great-again-pt-1 http://www.newsilkstrategies.com/opinion/making-saudi-arabia-great-again-pt-2 http://www.newsilkstrategies.com/opinion/making-saudi-arabia-great-again-part-3 http://www.newsilkstrategies.com/news--analysis/saudis-are-the-deep-state http://www.newsilkstrategies.com/news--analysis/petrodollar-in-trouble http://www.newsilkstrategies.com/news--analysis/saudi-domination-of-the-middle-east by NSS staff
The West does not provide blow-by-blow information on the Syrian and Iraqi war. In fact, it provides next to none, because if it did, the US would have to admit that Russia defeated ISIS in Syria, not the US, as the White House brazenly claims. Of course, any Westerner who wants badly enough to get this can go to a variety of sites, such as Southfront, SANA, Al-Masdar, Russia Insider or RT, but these are sites that the Western elites are scared to death that you should see because they would very soon show you that the US is obfuscating and hiding from you the most vital facts about the US’ role in the Middle East conflicts. One of the most despicable things that the US has done is train and arm Kurdish fighters to fight terrorists in areas that it pretends are de-confliction zones agreed upon with Russia, although, as the Russian war department keeps pointing out, no such agreement exists. The zones were set up unilaterally by the US on territory on which it is a trespasser. Just as despicably, starting in the Obama administration, but not limited thereto, the USAF has been occasionally killing Syrian troops who stray into these zones and then saying “oops, just a mistake.” More despicably still, the US has pretended that these areas where its Kurdish puppets are operating are Kurdish territory but they are not. You can find maps of Syrian Kurdistan (known also as Rojava in the Kurdish tongue), which clearly show that areas such as Manbij, Raqqa and, especially, Deir Ezzor, are well outside the Kurdish region and are Arab territories that by all rights belong to the Syrian state. The truth is that Deir Ezzor is home not to a Kurdish populace but rather to the Omar oil field, the richest in Syria, and this is why the US pretends the Kurds have a natural interest in protecting it from the clutches of its rightful owners, the Syrian people as represented by their duly elected Dr. Assad, whom Americans are to hate with due patriotic fervour if they wish to hold their exceptional heads up high and mightily. It is simply child’s play to find out such information but not even the most astute Western journalists bother to seek it out, or perhaps they know that if they were to report it, they would almost certainly be barred from their profession, where honesty is the worst policy. And this applies to the entire political spectrum. The problem with Western journalism is that only a few approved viewpoints are allowed. The Left and Right both have a vested interest in war, for one thing because American investors are imbued with the notion that war equals prosperity, but the Left in part because it has absurdly staked out the narrative of a devious Russian state that unduly influences US politics to the point that your vote is no longer safe until they are subdued, and the Right because much of this side of the spectrum is home to the Neocons, who firmly believe that without war, the US dollar will plummet and Israel will collapse, or to the machistas who think that the US must always win by military might, even though it never does. As for the Libertarians, they think Aleppo is probably a shopping centre in Pennsylvania (it’s true. See this). War is like a geopolitical football game and it is de rigueur to root for the home team – ie, the US and their cheerleaders Saudi Arabia and Israel. Translation and commentary by New Silk Strategies staff
A few days ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a meeting of Russian top military brass in Sochi that all members of the defence industry, whether state-owned or private, need to be prepared to gear up for war on short notice. He said this kind of preparedness to quickly begin boosting the output of military materiel is one of the “pillars” of Russian defence. Westerners are about as conscious of the nuclear weapons targeting their countries as they are of UFOs or unicorns. There is a high degree of unbelief about Russian and Chinese military hardware, especially nuclear missiles, and about anti-missile defence aimed at stopping incoming Western nukes. We are trained like Pavlov’s dogs to fear non-existent “Russian propaganda” more than the ever-present threat of a nuclear war caused by US provocation – including the US support for the illegal bloody Maidan coup in Kiev, the hysterical “Russiagate” propaganda, the promise to keep illegal US bases in Syria even after the war against jihadis is won, the US demand for Iraqi allies to leave now that they have valiantly routed most of the ISIS fighters, the absurd demonization of Russian ally Iran, the immoral US support for the Saudis in their genocidal war against the Yemeni Houthis (starvation of civilians) – based on religion and ethnicity – and so much more. Anyone who is keeping up with world events knows why the Russians feel threatened. God grant that the West may never find out the hard way the price of taunting the bear beyond his tolerance threshold. The horrific Russian anti-missile missile described below should never have had to be developed. It didn’t have to be this way. The US people, ie, what we call the Shallow State, will stand up to defend their jobs. “Christian” Zionists will “stand with Israel”, defending the right of Tel Aviv to threaten their neighbours in Lebanon with all-out air attacks – even against the Christian population – and to treat Palestinians like subhumans. But why will they will never defend the innocent? Our translation of an article from riafan.ru. Killer of American ICBMs: expert discusses the capabilities of the new A-235 "Nudol" antimissile system 24 November 2017 The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation posted a video of successful tests of the newest anti-missile defence system. The footage is published on the Youtube channel of the military department (click on video link at top of page--NSS,) This system will be able to shoot down all types of American intercontinental ballistic missiles and create a protective dome in the most dangerous directions, Alexei Leonkov, military expert for the magazine Arsenal Otechestva (Arsenal of the Fatherland) told the Federal News Agency. Note that the ABM test (presumably A-235 Nudol - editor's note) was held at the Sary-Shagan training ground in Kazakhstan. The training launch was carried out by specialists from the anti-aircraft and anti-missile defence forces of the Russian Air Force. The upgraded missile successfully hit a conventional target. Currently, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation has an anti-missile defence system A-135 "Amur", which protects Moscow from attacks from air and outer space. It is also used to strengthen missile warning systems and monitor outer space. The "Amur" consists of a "Don-2N" radar station in the Moscow region of Sofrino, the command-and-control point 5K80 in Pushkino and several shooting complexes equipped with 53T6 short-range interceptor missiles. "The fundamental difference from the A-135 anti-ballistic missile defence system in place will be that Amur is a silo-based missile-based antimissile system, and Nudol is a mobile system. Accordingly, the A-235 has a larger range of deployment on the Russian territory, that is, more opportunities to attack different objects. The A-135 covers our metropolitan and central industrial region, while the new system will be used in those areas where the construction of silos is not envisaged or essentially impossible. In addition, we can deploy such mobile complexes in any dangerous direction and thereby disrupt the mass use of enemy weapons, "the military analyst explains. Since the system is new and is still undergoing testing, its tactical and technical characteristics are unknown. However, FAN’s interviewee notes that in terms of its speed, range and altitude, Nudol will clearly outperform its predecessor, which in fact will make it "the killer of American ICBMs." "Noodle" will be produced in two versions - short and long range. And in terms of its destructive complonents, it will not be kinetic, but will destroy with the help of a directed nuclear explosion, that is, there will be a nuclear warhead. The impact of this explosion cuts down all electronics and destroys a larger number of warheads, "emphasizes Alexei Leonkov. According to the expert, the use of a nuclear warhead in a new missile is simply necessary, and when a Russian anti-missile is used in combat, it is pointless to consider the possible consequences. "When a nuclear war begins, we obviously will not be concerned about the environment or about any consequences. The survival of the country will be at stake. And Nudol will allow us to avoid the most serious consequences - it will be a high-atmosphere or even outer space explosion. In any case, it will be better than the impact of the nuclear charges themselves, which, having reached the ground, would destroy all infrastructure and the entire population. In general, the A-235 will be able to shoot down all types of American intercontinental ballistic missiles, not only existing ones but also those that they plan to create in the future, "- concluded Leonkov. As the newspaper Gazeta.ru reports, the first tests of the A-235 "Nudol" anti-ballistic missile defence system were held in 2014. According to Colonel Ildar Tagiyev, head of the program of combat algorithms and missile defence programs of the missile defence system, Russian interceptors are unparalleled in the world . Author: Sergey Chemekov Russian-language version: https://riafan.ru/1000108-ubiica-amerikanskikh-mbr-ekspert-rasskazal-o-vozmozhnostyakh-novoi-protivorakety-a-235-nudol?from=push&utm_source=push Relevant reading: World’s most dangerous cult: http://www.newsilkstrategies.com/culture/the-worlds-most-dangerous-cult-its-not-wahhabism http://www.newsilkstrategies.com/culture/the-worlds-most-dangerous-cult-its-not-wahhabism-part-ii http://www.newsilkstrategies.com/culture/the-worlds-most-dangerous-cult-its-not-wahhabism-part-iii Back during the election debates, Trump was asked about the US nuclear triad and apparently didn’t know what it was. It is a little ironic to note the contrast with Putin, who not only knows what the nuclear triad is, he actually initiated the launch of the Russian nuclear triad a few days ago. The US has been hammering at Russia like never before, illegally raiding its diplomatic missions in the US, and even trying to ban Russia Today, the popular TV channel and news web site, pretending with zero evidence that this news outlet interfered with “US democracy.” Perhaps there was therefore a little Schadenfreude in Putin’s decision to set off all three phases of the triad, which from the Russian standpoint, can be defined as three methods of delivering a nuclear bomb to one’s “partners,” ie, by release from an aircraft, either as a nuclear bomb or missile; by a ground-based ICBM; and by a nuclear missile launched from a submarine. Putin had this rare opportunity in the context of a test of the Russian nuclear facilities. The missiles flew from the launch sites straight to their targets, some traversing most of the Russian territory to get there. We are also reminded of NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg’s allegation that over 100,000 Russian soldiers took part in an exercise that took place in in Western Russia in September where the Russian defense ministry had declared that only 12,700 were participating. The irony of this accusation was that he was complaining about drills confined to Russian territory whereas the last NATO drill was held at the Russian border in a clear cut provocation of that country. Drills of this size and magnitude have traditionally been regarded as preludes to war. Last July’s NATO drills in Europe and the Black Sea were vastly superior in magnitude to the reported size of the disputed Russian drills. The US Defense Department’s site defense.gov reports on these drills: “… Saber Guardian 17 is larger in both scale and scope over previous iterations, Davis said. About 25,000 service members from 22 allied and partner nations are taking part, he added, and the exercise highlights participant deterrence capabilities -- specifically, the ability to mass forces at any given time anywhere in Europe. “Sea Breeze 2017, a U.S. Naval Forces Europe-led multinational exercise in the Black Sea supporting NATO's Partnership for Peace initiative, July 11-21; “Allied and partner exercises involving about 40,000 personnel from 30 nations comprise the Black Sea Region Exercises for 2017…” Putin’s personal involvement in launching the 3 deadly types of nuclear missiles, whether intentional or not, was a reminder that no matter how many troops and armaments NATO may have, the bottom line is the death dealing triad. And the US has numerous issues, including a lack of expertise and a culture that encourages excessively high prices. One clear advantage of the Russians is the availability of MIRVs, ie, missiles that deliver several independently targetable warheads. The US has one such weapon but it is currently armed with only a single warhead. The Russian Sarmat can carry 10-15 such independently targetable warheads. On top of that, Russia has anti-missile systems including the S-400, with a reputation so formidable that numerous countries around the world – including the US’s once-loyal ally Saudi Arabia – have purchased the system for their own defense. Demand for the more expensive US systems is waning. The following is our translation of an article from the Russian language version of Ria Novosti. https://ria.ru/defense_safety/20171027/1507706201.html The triad strike force: why Russia tested the nuclear shield 18: 0427.10.2017 Mobile missile system RS-24 Yars MOSCOW, Oct 27 - RIA Novosti, Andrei Stanavov. Long range Bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces, nuclear-missile submarines, the ground-based "Topol" and target areas in different parts of the Eurasian continent – a large-scale training mission under the supervision of the Strategic Nuclear Forces of Russia simultaneously included all three components of the triad. Four ballistic missiles were personally launched by the President of the country, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Russia Vladimir Putin. All training warheads successfully hit their targets. RIA Novosti deals with what today represents a domestic nuclear shield. Putin personally launched four ballistic missiles at the exercises In such exercises, the military usually checks the control system and the reliability of the channels for the transmission of commands and orders, and tests the quick interaction of various types and branches of the service is practiced. The Russian nuclear triad today is more than 60 percent complete with modern weapons and remains the main guarantor of national security. Launch of missiles and flight of aircraft: the exercise of the Ministry of Defense for the management of nuclear forces "Bears" and "Swans" During the training, the command launched bombers from the airbases "Ukrainka", "Engels" and "Shaykovka." Airplanes with cruise missiles destroyed objects of the conventional enemy at the ranges "Kura" (Kamchatka), "Pemba" (Republic of Komi) and "Terekt" (Kazakhstan). The shock core of the air component of the triad today consists of the supersonic strategic bombers-Tu-160, Tu-160M1 and the subsonic turboprop Tu-95MS, the famous "White swans" and the venerable "Medveds"(Bears). © RIA Novosti / Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation Go to the photobank Training for management of the Strategic Nuclear Forces of the Russian Armed Forces of Russia The Ministry of Defense annually modernizes four or five such machines. In general, they replace the avionics and electronics and install new systems for navigating and managing weapons. Last year alone the Aerospace Defense Forces were replenished with two upgraded Tu-160s and two Tu-95MS. Engineers promise by 2019 to present the first prototype of the deep-upgraded Tu-160M2 missile carrier that will join the ranks of its "brothers" and will be the basis of the air strike component of the nuclear deterrence forces until at least 2030. It is here that the latest technologies will be rolled out for the creation of a long-range aviation complex’s PAK DA, the bomber of the future, on which the military aerospace defense is placing a serious wager. The PAK DA is to be built on the "flying wing" scheme with a ample use of composite and radio-absorbent materials. The Ministry of Defense conducted training for the management of the Strategic Nuclear Forces In terms of armaments, the long-range aviation of the Aerospace Defense Forces is now getting new cruise missiles with both conventional and nuclear warheads, capable of pinpointing targets at ranges up to 5,500 kilometers. The main weapon of the "strategists" is the air-to-surface cruise missiles X-555, X-101 and its variant with the nuclear warhead X-102. The X-555 is an improved version of the X-55 missile, created back in the 1980s, and features the newest control complex with the possibility of instant trajectory correction. The missile can deliver a cluster or fragmentation-explosive-incendiary warhead to the target at a distance of up to 2000 kilometers. The even longer-range and more powerful missile X-101 is designed to engage important enemy targets at a distance of up to 5.5 thousand kilometers. It is worth noting that the X-101 and X-55 were used to strike at militant positions in Syria. Both missiles successfully passed combat testing. The Ministry of Defense of Russia has received the second regiment of ZRS S-400 this year. It is interesting that not only the "strategics", but also the long-range supersonic Tu-22M3 missile carriers attracted to the training in the management of nuclear forces. These missiles can carry 24 tons of ammunition, accelerate to 2300 kilometers per hour and go to the raid thousands of miles from the base. "Twenty-Twos" armed with guided supersonic missiles X-22M, capable of hitting targets at ranges up to 480 kilometers. In addition, the "bird" can take bombs or up to ten operational-tactical X-15 aerial ballistic missiles. They reach mach 5 and can destroy enemy airbases, radars, command posts and military factories at a distance of up to 300 kilometers. Roughly speaking, this is a kind of "Iskander", only air-based. ICBMs Strategic cruise missiles are a formidable weapon, but for global nuclear deterrence, they alone are not enough. On Thursday, an intercontinental ballistic missile "Topol" rose into the sky from Plesetsk, clearly operating on the active site, transporting and deliver a combat package to the Kamchatka training ground "Kura". Intercontinental carrier: why Russia needs a new heavy rocket In addition to the "Topols", the Strategic Missile Forces are armed with missile systems of four other types: RS-20M Voevoda, RS-18A, RS-12M2 Topol-M and RS-24 Yars. 99 percent of the launchers are available for the troops in the combat-ready state, and more than 96 percent are in constant readiness for immediate launch. The heavy "Voevoda" alone is capable of delivering 8.8 tons of nuclear payload to enemy territory. The missile carries ten separate warheads with a one megaton capacity each. One strike of the "Voevoda" can level a city the size of New York. "Yars" missile complex The rest of the missiles are far inferior to this, for example, the "Yars", which is already provided to nine regiments, is throwing a thermonuclear charge with a total capacity of just over one megaton. Another thing is that "Yars" are manufactured not only in a version for launching from a shaft, but also in a mobile design, which makes it less vulnerable. In the event of a threat, the complexes are sent for combat patrolling, constantly moving and "hiding" from satellites by masking. It will be very difficult for the enemy to locate them. The systems are also equipped with the latest technologies for overcoming the enemy's antimissile defense. As for future prospects, the defense design bureaus are now concentrating their efforts on the creation of the Sarmat heavy rocket, which is to replace the Voevoda, as well as the design of the Barguzin military railway complexes.© AP Photo Military personnel inspect the shaft of the missile "Topol-M" The "Sarmat" is a real nuclear "monster". Its starting mass will be about 110 tons, and its range is more than 11 thousand kilometers. The new missile will be able to carry 10 to 15 separate warheads weighing up to 750 kilotons each. It features a hypersonic approach to the target, individual guidance programs, active protection against interception and many other useful "chips". The American publication Business Insider included "Sarmat" along with "Yars" in the list of the most deadly Russian weapons. The material notes that NATO has already called the new missile "Satan-2." Strike from the ocean The third component of the Russian shield is the underwater nuclear fleet. As part of the inspection of the submarine of the Pacific Fleet, a salvo launch of two ballistic missiles from the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk along the range of Chizh, located in the Arkhangelsk region. The submarine of the Northern Fleet launched the missile almost toward it - from the waters of the Barents Sea to the "Kura" in Kamchatka. The Russian strategic submarine of project 955, "Vladimir Monomakh" Today, more than a dozen missile submarines are on accounted for, continuously patrolling in the sea and ocean waters. Only the Pacific Fleet is served by three Kalmars (Squids), project 667BDR and two new "Boreis" project 955, which are part of the 25th submarine division. Shchuka: how the 971 submarine of the project went to the top 5 most dangerous armaments of Russia Boreis with Bulava marine solid-propellant missile systems are part of the arsenal of the Northern and Pacific fleets. One such cruiser carries 16 missiles. It is the Boreis that will soon form the basis of the strategic nuclear forces group of the Russian Navy. In the period up until 2020, the fleet should receive eight subs of this project, while the construction of strategic fifth-generation submarines is scheduled to begin after 2025. The main submarine of Project 955 - Yuri Dolgoruky (accepted into the Russian Navy on January 10, 2013) servees in the Northern Fleet, the second cruiser of the series - Alexander Nevsky and the third - Vladimir Monomakh - in the Pacific Fleet. The Strategic missile submarine cruisers "Prince Vladimir", "Prince Oleg", "Generalissimo Suvorov", "Emperor Alexander III", and "Prince Pozharsky" are under construction. The Borei nuclear submarine missile cruiser The missile should be described separately. Each "Bulava" weighs more than 36 tons and is equipped with a dozen individually guided nuclear units capable of overcoming the missile defense of a probable enemy. The maximum flight range exceeds eight thousand kilometers. It is noteworthy that the "Bulava" cruiser can fire even while moving - due to an inclined launch.
From rg.ru, 9-7-2017.
NSS translation: An advertising video of the newest Russian short-range air defense system "Sosna" [Russian for “Pine”] has appeared on the internet. The state tests of the complex were completed in 2017. The Sosna air defense missile system is designed to replace the outdated SAM system Strela-10. The basis of the complex was a high-precision high-speed 9M340 guided missile. Its guidance system is a combined radio command at the launch site and teleorientation by laser beam after separation of the engine and exit to the line of sight. The rocket flying to the target at a speed of 3240 km / h is insensitive to optical and electronic means of suppression. Each combat vehicle carries 12 missiles with a response time to the target of 5 seconds. The Sosna has a range of 10 kilometers, and the system is capable of shooting down aerial objects at altitudes ranging from 0 to 5000 meters. The merits of the SAM include its increased survivability due to stealth. During operation, the Sosna practically does not give itself away with radiation, transmitting only short data packets to identify the target and exchange data inside the battery and with the command post. Each combat vehicle is capable of operating both autonomously and receiving target designations from various types of command posts. Translated from the Russian by New Silk Strategies (originally translated from Swedish) A new Putin tool: "Satan-2" can cover a territory the size of France http://inosmi.ru/military/20170302/238812175.html 03/02/2017 Olle Ohlsén Pettersson In recent years, Russia has invested heavily in modernizing its armed forces. In addition to the innovative missile system, it includes new nuclear submarines and one advanced air defense system. On Wednesday, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu presented in the State Duma new plans for their development. Here are some types of weapons that affect the balance of the world - and in the Baltics. RS-28 "Sarmat": "Satan-2" The RS-28 Sarmat is an intercontinental ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead. It can cover an area comparable in size to Texas or France. The missile has a range of 11 thousand km, and weighs 100 tons. It was developed to replace the older R-36M Voevoda, known as the "Satan" [This is the name assigned by NATO. Obviously picked for emotional impact—NSS] The name of the new missile according to the NATO classification is Satan-2, and it is supposedly much faster than its predecessor. In addition, it is assumed that it is much more difficult to intercept, since it does not follow a straight trajectory. The missile is expected to go into service in 2018. The nuclear warhead "Satan-2" weighs 10 tons, and it is estimated to be two thousand times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The missile has been under development for several years. According to the general director of the Makeev Mass Media Center Vladimir Degtyar and the leading designer of the center Yuri Kaverin, they received from the Kremlin "instructions to begin work on design and development" as far back as 2011, before the official conclusion of the agreement. [Possibly refers to the US-Russia arms limitation treaty that went into effect in 2011.—NSS] "The strategic missile complex of strategic importance, Sarmat, was created in order to guarantee and effectively fulfill the tasks of nuclear deterrence by Russia's strategic forces," the press release said. Next is the world's most advanced tank. T-14 the Armata The T-14 Armata is an ultimate weapon platform, which can function, among other things, as a tank, air defense, artillery gun and combat engineering machine. The T-14 Armata tank during rehearsal for the parade in honor of the victory in the Great Patriotic War [WW II—NSS] in Moscow. According to a report of the British Intelligence Service, it will be very difficult for the British military forces to resist against the Armata in battle. Internal documents written by high-ranking intelligence officers state: "without exaggeration, it can be said that the Armata represents the most revolutionary breakthrough in the development of tanks for the past half-century." The report then says that "it is not surprising that this tank became a sensation." At the same time, it criticized the inability of the UK to create a combat vehicle comparable to the Armata. The Armata first saw the light in 2015, when its prototype took part in the annual May parade. According to the report, the tank is revolutionary because its crew is protected from fire by a tower of innovative design. It is also believed that the tank is lighter, faster and has a lower profile than its competitors. The report also says that the tank will be equipped with a radar system, which is used on new Russian fighters, and is protected by armor made of modern composite materials. According to the publication The National Interest, however, the Armata has many problems. One of them is that the tank is too expensive. Russia simply does not have enough money to produce these machines in large quantities. According to the British report, Russia will be able to produce 120 new Armatas a year. According to Mike Kofman of CNA Corporation, a well-known expert on Russian military affairs, it will take Russia 21 years to replace all 2,500 tanks that are currently in service with the Armata, but that's only in the event the Kremlin has the means to do so, which, according to the National Interest, is unlikely. Since this article was published, Russia has sold a substantial batch of the Armata to the Iraqi army. Such exports will be a major contribution to financing the construction of more of them than the National Interest expected—NSS] New missiles, airplanes and troops After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the military sphere was subjected to severe austerity. The ships and submarines rusted in the ports, and the planes did not take off. But with the arrival of Vladimir Putin, the army again began to receive funds for new weapons and large-scale exercises. This year, Russia's strategic missile forces will receive 41 new ballistic missiles. At the same time, the air force will receive 170 new aircraft, the army will receive 905 tanks and combat vehicles, and the fleet will receive 17 new ships. This was reported by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. During 2017, three new units of the Russian strategic nuclear forces will also receive new ballistic missiles, Shoigu said. Each unit will take up to 10 missiles to operate. The growing number of new weapons has led to the need to hire new personnel. Shoigu said that the Air Force now needs 1,300 new pilots and they will be completely trained in 2017. The Russian military is operating in Syria on the side of the regime [since this article was written for Western consumption, the author used the de rigueur, but inappropriate, word “regime” to describe the legitimately elected Syrian government—NSS], and the Russian side has used the conflict to test new weapons under high-stress conditions. Due to the project for the modernization of the Russian Armed Forces, the country's million-man military potential has come close to the Western potential, primarily with regard to conventional weapons, communication technologies and drone technologies. Shoigu reports that the armed forces now have two thousand drones, and in 2011 there were only 180. He also mentioned that Russia has deployed radar systems to monitor the entire length of its border. The minister said that the military is going to deploy three new infantry divisions in the west, south-west and east of the country (the Pacific Ocean). The Western Division will be active near Sweden. Even more acute from the geopolitical point of view will be the situation with Russia's deployment of troops in the Pacific region. The Kuril Islands have been disputed since the Second World War: both Russia and Japan believe they are entitled to these territories. The deployment of the Russian infantry division there will not exactly reduce the tension. Earlier, the Russians deployed anti-ship missiles there to protect the coast. Next comes an invisible submarine in the Baltic Sea. The Lada project is the latest attempt of the Russian fleet to create a compact diesel submarine that will be very difficult to detect. Diesel submarine “St. Petersburg” The submarine is quieter than its Soviet predecessor, the Kilo sub; it is also quieter than the engines of any of the modern Russian submarines. Development of the “Lada” class began in the late 1990s. The first submarine of this project, the “St. Petersburg,” was launched in 2005. Currently, this submarine is the only one of the Lada class in production, but in the next few years, Russia plans to build two more of them. Unlike the Borey class, the Lada is not designed to transport ballistic missiles. It is a non-nuclear combat submarine equipped with modern self-guided torpedoes for the destruction of other subs and ships. In addition, submarines of the Lada class are equipped with Vodopad torpedoes, created in Soviet times and intended to destroy other subs. Details about this boat are for the most part kept under wraps. According to some information, the sub, with a length a 72 meters, can dive to a depth of 300 meters, and carries a crew of 37 sailors and officers. The sub’s maximum speed while submerged is 21 knots. The Lada project is also known as the St. Petersburg class, and its subs are adapted for operations in the Baltic Sea and other relatively shallow waters. [Although the Shkval supercavitating torpedo was known as early as the 90s, this author for some reason does not mention anywhere herein supercavitating torpedoes, which are capable of dazzling speeds unattainable by any Western torpedo. In fact, Russian developers are now working on another supercavitating torpedo called Khishchnik, which, unlike the Shkval, is capable of elaborate maneuvers.—NSS] 9K720 “Iskander” missiles can hit Sweden 9K720 Iskander missiles are short-range ballistic missiles that can carry a nuclear warhead. The Iskander missile system replaced the old Soviet Scud system. Missile system Iskander-M In addition to nuclear weapons, the Iskander can be equipped with many different types of warheads. Examples include high-precision bombs capable of penetrating the walls of a concrete bunker, cluster bombs and even electromagnetic missiles for destroying enemy radar systems. At launch, the Iskander missile weighs about 3.8 tons and travels at speeds as high as 2,100 meters per second, making it very difficult for enemy air defenses to intercept it. The missile systems are located near Kaliningrad, the former Koenigsberg in East Prussia, which at the end of the Second World War became part of Russia. Last week, Iskander missile systems were transported from Luga, near St. Petersburg, to Baltiysk. The range of the missiles is from 400 to 500 kilometers, which means that they can strike southeastern Sweden. In Baltiysk, which is located about 40 km west of Kaliningrad, the bulk of the Russian Baltic fleet is anchored. Next comes the Soviet-era missile system, which is still used in the Baltic states. Tactical missile system OTR-21 “Tochka” The missile system OTP-21 “Tochka” is a tactical ballistic missile that was introduced to the world back in 1976. When the NATO Military Alliance learned of its existence, it was given the classification name SS-21 Scarab. Preparation of the Tochka missile system for launching a tactical missile at the Pavenkovo military training ground in the Kaliningrad region. In the ’70s, the “Tochka” was considered a revolutionary breakthrough, because it used inertial navigation, which favorably differed from the predecessor of “Luna-M”. The most modern version, which NATO calls Scarab C, weighs 1.8 tons, and has a range of 185 kilometers. The missile can be equipped with either a conventional warhead or a tactical nuclear head. SS-21 is part of the 53rd rocket brigade stationed in Chernyakhovsk, Kaliningrad region, says defense analyst Jørgen Elfving, a former lieutenant colonel working at the National Defense Institute. “Every year, according to the Russian plan, two rocket brigades are re-equipped and receive Iskander missiles. When the brigade in Chernyakhovsk will be re-equipped is not known, but in the course of the debates in Russia it is often said that placing Iskander in Kaliningrad can be an adequate response to training activities of NATO and deployment of their forces in Eastern Europe,” says Jørgen Elfving. The S-400 can track 80 enemy aircraft at the same time The S-400 is the new star of Russian air defense. The mobile anti-aircraft system is considered the most modern version of defense against enemy missiles and aircraft, along with the touted Israeli system “Iron Dome”. The S-400 has a very advanced tracking system that can target 80 missiles and planes simultaneously. The main task of the S-400 is to neutralize the enemy’s missiles and aircraft before they reach Russian territory. The anti-aircraft missile system uses three types of missiles: the 40N6 with a range of 400 km, the 48N6 with a range of 250 km and the 9M96, a version with a range of 120 km. The launched missile travels toward the target at a speed of just over 1,000 meters per second. In 2009, the Russian Armed Forces reported the deployment of S-400 complexes near the North Korean border. This was done in order to destroy nuclear missiles of North Korea in the event they should mistakenly approach the Russian territory. Production of the S-400 began in 2007, and the system was developed in the late 1990s. Since then, at least 152 complexes have been deployed. These complexes are included in the at Gvardeysk 183rd anti-aircraft missile regiment in Kaliningrad. S-400s were deployed in the Kaliningrad region in 2012. Their predecessor, the S-300VM, was exported, for example, to the oil-rich country of Venezuela in South America. Next on the list is a bomber that Russia has deployed near Sweden. Fighter-bomber "Sukhoy" Su-34 The Su-34 is a bomber that the Russian Air Force has used, for example, in Syria. The aircraft is used primarily to destroy targets on the ground. It carries a crew of two, and has a flight range of 4,500 km. The maximum air speed at sea level is1,400 km per hour. At an altitude of 11 thousand kilometers, the aircraft can accelerate to 1,900 km per hour. The maximum flight altitude is 17,000 m, and the maximum takeoff weight is 44.4 tonnes. The aircraft's armament consists of air-to-air missiles, guided missiles to destroy ground targets, medium-range missiles, guided and unguided bombs. According to Jørgen Elfving, a number of Su-34 planes are located in the Baltic region. "The military unit there, according to available information, has 24 Su-34 planes. It is reported that by 2020, from 150 to 220 Su-34s will be supplied to the Russian air force and will replace the Su-24. Su-34s have been used in Syria," says Jørgen Elfving. According to Jane's Defense Weekly, Russia has at least eight Su-34 planes in Syria. Below we will discuss one of the most modern landing assault ships in Russia. Landing ships Russia has several large landing ships of the 775 Minsk Class, ie, the Kaliningrad, the Korolev and the Alexander Shabalin. The ships are armed with 57 mm artillery guns, one 76.2 mm battery and several antiaircraft missile units, two of which are 30 mm caliber. A battalion of marines with combat vehicles can be loaded on the ship. "These ships are quite old, but at the moment they are working on one new landing ship, the Ivan Gren, which is under development, is now being tested and will be put into service by the Russian Navy later this year." Initially, six such ships were to be built, but now it has been decided to hold it at only two," said Jørgen Elfving. Next is a Soviet-era submarine, which will soon be replaced by more submarines. Non-nuclear submarines of the "Kilo" class. The crew of the Soviet-class "Kilo" subs consists of 57 sailors and officers. The sub has a surface speed of this submarine is 10 knots and a submerged speed 17 knots. On average, the submarine can dive to 240 meters. "Kilo" class subs can remain submerged for up to 45 days. Armament consists of six torpedo tubes, and up to 18 torpedoes or 24 mines can be taken on board. Russia has two non-nuclear submarines of the Kilo class in the Baltic Sea - Vyborg and Dmitrov. The latter is currently docked, according to Jørgen Elfving. Now we come to the submarine used in the Barents Sea. The "Borey" class – Russia’s new supersubs The "Borey" is a nuclear submarine intended to replace the famous submarine of the Akula design, the largest ever created. The "Borey" is much smaller than its predecessor, but it is more difficult to detect, and it is much more maneuverable. Submerged, this submarine can travel at a speed of 30 knots, while its submerged speed is 15 knots. The Borey has an OK-650 nuclear reactor, the same type used in Soviet submarines since the early 1980s. It carries a crew of 107 sailors and officers, and can dive to about 450 meters. The sub, 170 meters in length, is equipped with ballistic missiles that can carry both tactical and strategic nuclear warheads. It is equipped with 12-meter missiles of the RSM-56 Bulava type. Reportedly, problems were encountered during the tests with the "Bulava.” For example, they exploded in the water when fired in the submerged position. The theoretical range of the missiles is 8,000 km, and the accuracy radius is 350 meters. In addition, the "Borey" class is equipped with Vyuga (blizzard) missiles, which protect it from enemy submarines and surface ships. They can be loaded with a non-atomic explosive or carry small tactical nuclear warheads. In addition, the "Borey" has many smart torpedoes. Since the submarine uses an atomic engine, the time of its operation is "unlimited", which theoretically means that the Borey can stay on the job for many years. The Russian fleet ordered ten submarines of the Borey class. Three of these are currently in service. Due to its size, the Borey is primarily adapted to work in the open sea and is not intended for the Baltic region, where it could run aground because of the relatively shallow depth. Olle Ohlsén Pettersson |
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