Syrian air defense. The Economist: What does Russia's modernization of Syria's air defense mean for Israel? How Russia lost planes in Syria
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, “a chain of tragic accidents” led to Syria shooting down a Russian spy plane on September 17. These words from Mr. Putin seem to indicate that he considers this episode to be accidental and does not make any accusations against Israel. Israeli fighter jets have carried out air strikes on Syrian territory before and, apparently, they were likely targets her air defense. However, time passed, and Russia became more and more militant. Its generals said Israeli fighters used the Russian plane as cover (Israel denies this). Then, on September 24, Russia announced its intention to supply the Syrians with more modern anti-aircraft missile systems S-300, thus signaling a change in its regional strategy.
Since Russia intervened in the Syrian civil war in 2015 on the side of that country's dictator, Bashar al-Assad, it has sought to avoid clashes with Israel. Over the past 18 months, Israel has carried out more than 200 airstrikes against Iran-linked targets inside Syria. Hotline connecting the Israeli Air Force headquarters in Tel Aviv with the Russian one command center in Khmeimim in western Syria, helped prevent incidents in the air. Military procedures were supported by a tacit agreement between Mr. Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister. Israel will not interfere with the implementation Russian operation to save Mr. Assad, and Russia will not stop Israel from attacking Iranian targets in Syria.
Russian plans to modernize Syria's air defense system complicate this agreement. S-300 is a formidable anti-aircraft missile system, which is equipped with a radar capable of tracking more than 100 targets simultaneously at a distance of up to 300 kilometers. Its presence will make Israeli operations riskier, which is why Mr. Netanyahu has long opposed the transfer of these weapons to the Syrian government (Russia has already stationed S-300 systems in Syria, but it is not using them against Israel). However, Israel says it will continue attacks on targets in Syria. Its stealthy F-35 fighter-bombers are capable of penetrating the defenses of S-300 systems and destroying them. But if Russian operators work alongside poorly trained Syrian troops, there is a risk of escalation.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the S-300 systems will be transferred Syrian army in two weeks. Some analysts doubt this will happen. Due to pressure from America and Israel, it took Russia 9 years to deliver the promised S-300 systems to Iran. Moscow may view the threat of supplying these systems as a way to put pressure on Israel to limit its intervention in Syria.
Russia has tried to find a balance between Israel and its enemies in the Middle East. Mr. Putin became the first Russian leader made an official visit to Israel (he did so twice), and Mr Netanyahu stood shoulder to shoulder with Mr Putin during a Russian military parade this year. However, this friendship did not prevent Russia from inviting Hamas to Moscow, helping Iran implement its nuclear program and arming Syria.
As Russia became increasingly isolated from the West, Israel's importance as a source of technology and political support increased. The Kremlin has carefully avoided anti-Israel rhetoric in its accusations against the West. After the incident with its plane in Syria, Russia spoke about betrayal of trust and expressed regret about this; Russia did everything to help Israel and assist it, but in return received betrayal, Russian commentators emphasize. Mr Netanyahu called Mr Putin twice and also sent commander air force Israel, but the Kremlin may be expecting more Israeli courtesies to defuse the situation.
InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.
Illustration copyright Getty Images Image caption Il-20 - electronic reconnaissance aircraft and electronic warfare
A Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by Syrian air defense forces, and it was exposed to fire by Israeli planes carrying out attacks on the province of Latakia. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated this, warning about the right to an adequate response to “hostile actions.” In turn, the Israeli military blamed the army of Bashar al-Assad, which fired “indiscriminately.”
The plane crash killed 15 Russian soldiers, the Russian Ministry of Defense said. The agency reported that the day before at about 22:00 four Israeli Air Force F-16 fighters carried out a guided attack aerial bombs for objects in the province of Latakia.
“Under the cover of a Russian plane, Israeli pilots exposed it to Syrian air defense fire. As a result, the Il-20, which has an effective reflective surface an order of magnitude greater than that of the F-16, was shot down by an S-200 missile,” said Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov .
- In Syria, a Russian Il-20 with 14 military personnel on board disappeared from radar: several versions
General Konashenkov emphasized that the command of the Russian group of troops in Syria was not warned in advance about the planned airstrikes. "By " hotline“The notification arrived less than one minute before the strike, which did not allow the Russian aircraft to be brought to a safe zone,” he explained.
According to Konashenkov, the F-16 pilots and the Israeli Air Force controls “could not help but see the Russian plane, as it was landing from an altitude of five kilometers,” but nevertheless “deliberately committed this provocation.”
In addition, the general noted, the bombing was carried out not far from the place where the French frigate Auvergne is located. Previously, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that missiles were launched from this ship. The French military said it was not involved in the attack.
“We regard these provocative actions of Israel as hostile,” said a representative of the military department. “We reserve the right to adequate response actions.”
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke by telephone with the head of the Israeli Ministry of Defense Avigdor Lieberman and brought to his attention that as a result of the “irresponsible actions of the Israeli Air Force” 15 Russian military personnel were killed, the Ministry of Defense reported.
Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov refused to answer the question whether Vladimir Putin planned a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli Ambassador was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Israeli reaction
On Tuesday afternoon, the Israeli military confirmed that it had carried out an airstrike last night on a Syrian military facility where precision weapons. According to Israel, it was intended to attack it and was intended for the Hezbollah group in Lebanon, where it could be delivered on behalf of Iran.
“Israel holds the [Bashar] Assad regime, whose military shot down the Russian plane, fully responsible for this incident,” the IDF said in a series of tweets. “Israel also holds Iran and the terrorist organization Hezbollah responsible for the unfortunate incident.”
According to the Israeli military, Syrian air defenses fired "indiscriminately" and did not make sure that there were no Russian aircraft in the air.
In Israel, they insist that they notified the Russian military about the strikes: “Between the Israel Defense Forces and Russian army there is a prevention system conflict situations, which was approved at the level of state leaders and which has proven itself many times in last years. This system was still used today."
In addition, the statement emphasizes that Israeli planes were already in airspace Israel, when Syrian air defenses shot down an Il-20.
Israel mourns the death of Russian soldiers and is ready to provide the Russian authorities with all necessary information to investigate the incident, the statement said.
The US knew about missile defense
The Il-20 crash site has been discovered; the plane fell 27 km west of the village of Banias.
The wreckage of the crashed plane, as well as fragments of the crew's bodies and their personal belongings were brought on board Russian ships, the Ministry of Defense reported.
On Tuesday night, the Ministry of Defense reported that an Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft flying over the Mediterranean Sea disappeared from radar during an airstrike by Israeli fighters on targets in the province of Latakia. It was reported that there were 14 people on board the Russian plane.
At the same time, Western media sources wrote that the Russian plane could have been accidentally shot down by Syrian air defense forces.
"The US military believes that Syrian anti-aircraft guns mistakenly shot down a Russian coastal patrol plane while the Syrian regime was trying to shoot down Israeli missiles aimed at targets in Latakia," CNN's affairs correspondent tweeted. national security Ryan Brown.
What is S-200
S-200 is a Soviet long-range anti-aircraft missile system. It was developed in the 1960s to protect areas from the air (as opposed to complexes designed to cover individual objects).
Until the emergence of the more modern S-300 complex at the very end of the 1970s, it remained the most powerful air defense system in the USSR. In the 1980s, it began to be supplied abroad, including to Syria.
The S-200 anti-aircraft missile is equipped with a semi-active guidance head, that is, it is aimed at a target that is “illuminated” by the tracking radar.
- Syria fires missiles at Israeli warplanes
The complex has been modernized several times, but is currently outdated. So, during an air strike by the Israeli Air Force on targets in Syria, the S-200 systems opened fire on the planes, but were unable to shoot down a single one. Moreover, one of the Syrian anti-missile missiles was already intercepted Israeli complex PRO.
The Russian Ministry of Defense previously reported that in addition to the S-200, the Syrian army has Soviet S-125, Buks, Kvadraty and Wasps, as well as modern Pantsir-S complexes.
How Russia lost planes in Syria
Il-20 is an electronic reconnaissance and electronic warfare aircraft, created on the basis of the Il-18 aircraft.
The aircraft is designed for reconnaissance along the border strip and state border. Considered to be the first reconnaissance aircraft in the Soviet Union, its first flight took place in 1968.
Previously, Russia lost fighters, attack aircraft and transport aircraft in Syria.
In early May this year, it crashed in Syria Russian fighter Su-30SM. It crashed after takeoff from Khmeimim airbase, killing both pilots. The Ministry of Defense called possible reason crash hit the engine of a bird. “There was no fire impact on the plane,” the military department said.
- Russian fighter jet crashes in Syria, two pilots killed
- 39 Russian soldiers were killed in a plane crash in Syria. What do we know?
- Russian Air Force Su-25 attack aircraft shot down in Syria
Then total number The number of Russian aircraft lost in Syria has reached seven. At the same time, only two aircraft were combat losses - a Su-24 bomber shot down by the Turkish Air Force in November 2015 and a Su-25 attack aircraft shot down by militants in Idlib in February 2018.
The biggest loss Russian aviation In Syria, the An-26 transport plane crashed in March this year, killing 39 people. The Ministry of Defense then reported that the plane did not reach the runway of the Khmeimim airfield by about 500 meters and collided with the ground.
During the operation in Syria Russian authorities The death of more than 90 military personnel was officially recognized.
Russia began a military operation in Syria in the fall of 2015, supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Over the course of three years, with the support of Russian aviation and the Iranian military, Assad managed to take control of almost all territories except the province of Idlib.
The day before, negotiations between the presidents of Russia and Turkey took place in Sochi, following which Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced their intention to create a demilitarized zone 15-20 kilometers wide along the perimeter of Idlib by October 15.
Shoigu at the same time announced that the expected offensive operation in Idlib, from which Moscow and Damascus were dissuaded by the United States and others Western countries, will not be.
The incident with the Il-20 will not affect the implementation of the agreements on Idlib, Peskov said.
IN Lately continues to be haunted by a series of “fatal and fantastic coincidences,” in the words of tourists Boshirov and Petrov. Defeat by Syrian crew of S-200 air defense system Russian plane The IL-20, as in the case of Salisbury, gave rise to many versions of what happened - from a mistake by the Syrian military to a deliberate provocation on the part of Damascus, aimed at disrupting Russian-Israeli interaction. In any case, experts say, the tragedy indicates low level training of fighters of the Syrian air defense forces, which is not in the interests of Moscow to correct now.
“The problem is the mediocre combat training and combat training of the fighters of the Syrian Arab Army in general and the crews of air defense systems in particular: after Israel strikes at them, they usually respond with indiscriminate mass missile launches along the entire perimeter - this is their usual tactic. Sometimes even they end up somewhere.”
In order to change the situation, Semenov believes, Russia would need to completely retrain the Syrian air defense forces and reform their command and control system: otherwise there is no point in supplying new weapons.
At the same time, according to the expert, the Russian Federation should not take such steps. If Moscow strengthens the Syrian air defense forces and increases their effectiveness, the Iranians will immediately take advantage of this and further increase their already strong presence in Syria.
“This will cause an even more active reaction from Israel, for which the Iranian presence in Syria is unacceptable.”
The Russian Federation needs to think, first of all, not about how to improve Syrian air defense or supply Damascus with some new types of weapons, but for this it needs clearer agreements with Israel.
“The Ministry of Defense rightly noted that Israel gave only a minute's warning of a strike on Syria, and this is simply dishonest. At the same time, if the message from the head of the Russian military department that Israeli fighters “covered themselves” with a Russian plane is true, in such a situation this could not have been avoided with any air defense system,” the News.ru expert points out.
Finding a consensus with Israel, Zolotarev believes, will be difficult, but the existence of agreements on Idlib with Turkey, with which Moscow also previously had many problems, demonstrates that the Kremlin knows how to negotiate if desired.
Seven months have passed since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of the withdrawal of troops from Syria in order to achieve most of the goals. Apparently, Putin does not mean by the withdrawal of troops what we understand, since during this time it has been reported many times about the transfer of new aircraft, bombings, and even about an aircraft carrier being sent to the region. But the world, including Israel, is most concerned about the supply of Russian air defense systems to Syria.
Earlier this month, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had completed the deployment modern complexes Air defense S-300 in Tartus. This news came a year after Russia deployed the S-400 system to Syria. All this is happening at a time when the skies over Syria are full of planes different countries, including, as you know, Israeli ones. If this is not enough, then the mentioned air defense systems are able to detect and even shoot down aircraft deep in Israeli airspace.
A very scary scenario.
The Israeli defense department is so far proud of its coordination with the Russian military. According to reports from foreign sources, even after the Turkish Air Force shot down a Russian plane, Russian-supplied air defense systems did not interfere with Israeli aircraft carrying out strikes in Syria. On the other side, Russian systems emboldened Assad, and the Israeli Ministry of Defense confirmed at least one attempt by Syrian air defenses to shoot down an Israeli Air Force plane. If we consider that Russian opponents in Syria do not have military aircraft at all, then the concern of the Israeli military becomes quite understandable.
Israeli Air Force Long story fight against Russian air defense systems, and it was not always successful. During the War of Attrition, Israeli aviation suffered losses, and the saying “The missile crushed the wing of the plane” appeared. During the war doomsday The Air Force fought dozens anti-aircraft batteries. The Egyptians and Syrians realized that neither their pilots nor those supplied in abundance soviet planes unable to prevail over the Israeli pilots, and acquired a multitude of missiles. Israeli aviation lost 102 aircraft, 53 pilots were killed, all from anti-aircraft fire. The rocket was again stronger than the wing.
During the First Lebanon War in 1982, Israeli aircraft carried out an operation to destroy Syrian air defenses called Artsab-19 (Cicada-19). It is still studied in military academies. The Israeli Air Force destroyed 19 air defense batteries without losing a single aircraft, after which one of the largest air battles ensued in the skies, involving about 150 aircraft on both sides. Syrian aviation lost 23 aircraft, and this time the wing defeated the missile.
Since then, the Syrians have significantly improved their air defenses with Russian help. Below is a list of air defense assets that have already been deployed or may be deployed along our northern border.
S-300
This anti-aircraft missile system can shoot down aircraft at a distance of about 200 kilometers and is considered one of the best in the world. It takes about five minutes to deploy the battery. The system is able to simultaneously track 100 targets and simultaneously shoot down up to 35 of them. The S-300 air defense system can shoot down aircraft at very high or very low altitudes.
The S-300 has two types of missiles. Smaller ones called "Gladiator" (Western name) are designed to fight aircraft and cruise missiles. Big rockets"Giant" must be shot down ballistic missiles. They carry a warhead with 130 kilograms of explosives.
After several years of diplomatic struggle, the S-300s were delivered to Iran. In Syria, the S-300 air defense systems are operated by Russian operators, although there are reports that the same systems have been transferred directly to the Syrian army. Foreign sources previously reported that Israeli pilots learned how to counter the S-300 during joint exercises in Greece.
S-400
This anti-aircraft missile system is considered a modernization of the S-300. Its missiles are capable of shooting down aircraft at a distance of 250 to 400 kilometers and can hit up to 80 targets simultaneously. The response speed is less than ten seconds. The complex consists of eight launchers and about 70 missiles.
As previously reported, the Russian military has deployed at least one S-400 complex in Syria - in the Latakia region. If true, the system's range would include northern Israel and threaten coalition aircraft in Syria. As of today, only the Russian army has S-400 systems.
S-300VM
This air defense system is designed to destroy intercontinental missiles, as well as aircraft coordinating air attacks. According to Russian sources, the effective range reaches 600 kilometers.
The S-300VM complex consists of mobile units on trucks, several command posts and various air defense systems. These weapons cause serious concern among Western countries.
"Pantsir S-1"
Mobile air defense system equipped anti-aircraft guns and missiles, capable of shooting down aircraft, unmanned aircrafts and cruise missiles, including at low altitude - about five meters.
The Pantsir launcher (a battery of three to five launchers) can be equipped with twelve missiles and a pair of 30-millimeter cannons that fire 2,500 rounds per minute over a distance of up to four kilometers. The missiles can shoot down aircraft at a distance of up to 20 kilometers. In 2012, the Syrian Pantsir S-1 system shot down a Turkish Phantom.
"Beech"
A mobile air defense battery capable of shooting down airplanes, UAVs, helicopters and, according to Russian sources, missiles and smart bombs. The system is equipped with several types of missiles with a range of 2.5 to 35 (according to some sources, up to 50) kilometers. It is capable of shooting down aircraft at an altitude of up to 15 kilometers. It takes about five minutes to deploy the system, with a response time of 22 seconds. The complex includes a radar with a range of up to 80 kilometers, capable of controlling three missiles in parallel. The battery consists of three to four launchers, each of which has four missiles ready for launch and 13 more missiles.
People started talking about the Buk when there were allegations that such a system shot down a Malaysian plane on flight MH-17. Dozens of such systems are in service in Syria and Egypt. Foreign sources said the Israeli air force destroyed a shipment of Buk missiles destined for Lebanese Hezbollah on at least one occasion.
"Wasp"
A mobile air defense system capable of shooting down aircraft at an altitude of up to 12 kilometers and at a distance of up to 15 kilometers. It is very easy to use and is capable of firing the first missile 25 seconds after the radar detects the target.
This air defense system has also been mentioned in connection with Israeli strikes on Syrian arms shipments. Israeli aviation is familiar with it, having destroyed at least three Osa systems in the First Lebanon War.
"Tunguska"
Mobile air defense system with cannon and missile weapons. Designed to protect ground forces on the move from enemy helicopters, airplanes and cruise missiles. The installation carries two 30-mm guns with a rate of fire of 2,500 rounds per minute. The missiles are capable of shooting down aircraft at a distance of 8-10 kilometers and at an altitude of five kilometers. The upgraded missiles have a range of 18 kilometers.
S-200
An anti-aircraft missile very well known to Israeli pilots of yesteryear. The S-200 has been in our region for decades. The system includes a radar with a range of up to 600 kilometers and a missile on a mobile installation capable of hitting a target at a distance of 160 to 400 kilometers, depending on the modification. This is an old, heavy missile that cannot cope with modern combat aircraft. Its main targets are control aircraft, transport aircraft and bombers. According to some reports, Syrian air defenses fired just such a missile at an Israeli plane.
The S-200 is also known to Israel due to a tragic incident: in 2001, Ukrainian air defenses accidentally shot down a Tu-154 missile plane flying from Israel to Novosibirsk. 78 people were killed, mostly Israeli citizens.
"Cube"
Mobile anti-aircraft gun, known to Israel from the Yom Kippur War and suffered big losses as a result of Operation Cicada-19. The installation carries three ready-to-launch missiles, nicknamed “Fingers of Death” in 1973. The range is more than 70 kilometers, the system is capable of shooting down an aircraft at an altitude of 12 kilometers and at a distance of 3 to 25 kilometers. It is in service in Iran, Syria and Egypt and other countries.
"Verba"
The Russian military industry also produced deadly man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems, such as Strela and Igloo, which are capable of shooting down a combat aircraft at a distance of five to six kilometers. But the world is much more concerned about the new generation “Verba” MANPADS, which is unique in its kind. According to Russian sources, Verba is able to overcome most electronic countermeasures systems available to Western countries.
According to Russian sources, the Verba is equipped with a tri-band optical target search system and a guidance system, thanks to which the MANPADS differs high accuracy. The range is six kilometers. According to Russian manufacturers, the missile is completely digital and operates autonomously in the air. The operator only needs to press the start button. The missile is equipped with a “friend/foe” recognition system, which significantly reduces the likelihood of losses from friendly fire. a one and a half kilogram warhead is capable of hitting an aircraft at an altitude of 4.5 kilometers.
In June, Russia announced its first contract for the supply of Verba to an unnamed foreign customer. The greatest fear in the West is that such MANPADS will fall into the hands of terrorists.
Syrian air defenses intercepted 71 missiles out of 103 fired from US-led coalition aircraft and ships. Without exaggeration, this result can be called fantastic. Although the officially listed air defense systems have high characteristics, their potential is not so wide. How did the Syrian missilemen manage to show such an impressive result? And what is Russia's role in this success?
Western countries used 103 missiles in Syria, including Tomahawk cruise missiles. The Chief of the Chief spoke about this on Saturday operational management Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. According to the General Staff, Syrian air defense intercepted 71 Western coalition cruise missiles, which indicates the high level of training of the local military.
According to Rudsky, Russian air defense systems at the Khmeimim and Tartus bases monitored the launches of cruise missiles from both sea and air carriers of the United States and Great Britain. " Russian forces air defense systems were transferred to combat mode. Fighter aircraft are on duty in the air,” Rudskoy said, adding that, according to preliminary data, there are no casualties among civilians and military personnel of the Syrian army, the current situation in Damascus and other populated areas Syria is assessed as calm.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, S-125, S-200, Buk and Kvadrat air defense systems, produced more than 30 years ago in the USSR, were used to repulse the attack. However, the effectiveness of destroying enemy missiles indicates that the Syrians used more modern means defeats.
Former Deputy Commander of the Air Defense Forces Ground Forces Russian Lieutenant General Alexander Luzan, who has visited Syria several times, knows firsthand about the capabilities of local air defense and is well acquainted with its structure. He especially emphasized that Russian air defense systems as part of the Aerospace Forces did not participate in repelling the night rocket attack, because “the raid did not go through the affected area of the S-400, S-300V4 and Pantsir, which are stationed in Khmeimim and Tartus.”
“Syrian air defense took part in repelling the raid. Two types of air attack were used: aeroballistic missiles, which were launched from aircraft, and Tomahawk cruise missiles, which were launched from both aircraft, including B-1B bombers, and ships. Both were shot down,” Luzan told the Vzglyad newspaper.
He noted that Syrian air defense is quite powerful. Home impact force became the newest multi-channel anti-aircraft missile system "Buk-M2", which Syria managed to buy from Russia shortly before the start of civil war. Before this, Damascus had the Buk-M1 complex.
Also, before the start of the civil war, Syria acquired Pantsir-S1 from Russia. This complex does not have a highly raised antenna, but has a short reaction time, so it manages to effectively fire at a cruise missile at close range. According to the expert, it was the Pantsir and Buki-M2 that became the main means of destroying enemy missiles.
Older air defense systems also should not be written off, Luzan believes. “The great-grandfather of the Buk-M2, Kvadrat, is the export name for the Soviet anti-aircraft missile system Kub. It was released over 30 years ago. But it was used very successfully in the Middle East, especially in Egypt. During the Arab-Israeli war, it was the “Square”, when it was first delivered there, that destroyed 78% of Israeli aircraft. The Americans were forced to fly the Phantoms to Israel with in-flight refueling in order to somehow increase its potential. Therefore, this time “Square” could be used,” says Luzan.
In turn, the ex-commander of the 4th Air Force of the Air Force and Air Defense, Hero of Russia, Lieutenant General Valery Gorbenko, agrees that
The number of missiles intercepted by the Syrian defenders showed not just a high, but a fantastic result.
“The effectiveness of the strike (of the Western coalition) turns out to be low,” Gorbenko told the VZGLYAD newspaper, adding that Syrian Buks, as well as S-75 and S-200 systems, were working on distant approaches, “and closer to the targets, the Pantsirs were the most effective "
Luzan emphasized that an air defense system is considered strong if more than 60% of targets are hit, so the result deserves all praise. At the same time, Gorbenko noted that such a high efficiency rate was achieved solely thanks to Russia, which helped Syria restore anti-aircraft missile systems. The training programs for Syrian missilemen have brought no less benefit. “Or maybe we helped them somewhere during the launches. Don't know. But they probably suggested it,” suggested the lieutenant general.
Regarding the use of the S-200, Luzan recalled that in Syria there were two groups of divisions with these weapons. “But a cruise missile is not a target for the S-200. And the carriers of cruise missiles did not enter the zone of its destruction, so if the S-200 shot down something there, then it was one or two targets,” said the former deputy commander of the air defense forces of the Russian Ground Forces.
Let us note that air defense systems were not considered a target by the Western coalition, although in a real conflict these systems become the number one target. According to Alexander Luzan, in this way the United States and its allies only created “big noise,” and not for the first time. “There was already a strike on the Syrian airfield. Then they launched 58 Tomahawks. Of these, 38 were shot down, and those that flew to the airfield did not cause any significant damage, because the next day planes began to take off from this airfield. Therefore, this time too, the propaganda goal is being pursued,” he said.Luzan emphasized that air defense systems can be hit by anti-radar missiles of the AGM-88 HARM type with a launch range of about 50–60 kilometers. “The carrier, that is, the F-15 or F-16, needs to reach this range. This means exposing the carrier to air defense attacks. Therefore, they took the simplest path: they used long-range cruise missiles, the launch of which does not require entering the weapon’s affected area missile defense. And then whatever happens,” explained Alexander Luzan.
During the night shelling, invaluable experience was gained by Russian VKS. Russian S-300 and S-400 located in Syria detected and escorted Western missiles, collecting information for analysis and study.
“Teachings, and especially real ones fighting always provide educational benefits. From this we can conclude that it is necessary to improve the reconnaissance system for air attack weapons. Cruise missiles flying to combat zone at extremely low altitudes, so the detection range is insignificant. There are intelligence systems, but they are not integrated into unified system. It is necessary to create a unified information and management space. Then no surprises will be scary. The weapon can always be brought to a state of combat readiness on time, and then, as in that fairy tale: the orchestra does its job,” the lieutenant general urged.
He explained that there was an A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft in Syria, but neither the S-400 nor the S-300B4 have the means to receive information via non-directional communication channels from this flying radar. “And Rudskoy himself should know about this and draw certain conclusions,” believes Alexander Luzan.
Let us remind you that on Saturday night, US President Donald Trump ordered a strike on Syria. He stated this in a special address to the nation. TO military operation Great Britain and France joined. The strikes, as French President Emmanuel Macron assured, were carried out at Syrian government facilities for the creation of chemical weapons.
The first coalition strikes began at four o'clock in the morning (Syrian time, coinciding with Moscow time). They were launched from two US Navy ships from the Red Sea, by tactical aircraft over the water area Mediterranean Sea, as well as American strategic bombers B-1B from the al-Tanf area.
The United States did not notify Russia about this strike, and NATO countries were informed several hours before the start of the operation. As the Pentagon said, the United States chose targets in such a way as to minimize the likelihood of Russian military involvement in the situation. As Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, the first strike was aimed at a research center in which “the Syrian authorities researched, tested and produced chemical and biological weapons" The other two sites are a chemical weapons storage facility west of Homs and a nearby equipment storage facility. chemical weapons. Objects were seriously damaged.
The political reaction to what is happening in Syria was expected. Russian Ambassador in the United States, Anatoly Antonov said that the strike would not remain without consequences. “The worst fears have come true. Our warnings were not heeded. A pre-planned scenario is being implemented. They are threatening us again. We warned that such actions will not remain without consequences. All responsibility for them lies with Washington, London and Paris,” the diplomat said.
The US Congress also expressed their disagreement with what happened. Senator Tim Kaine called Washington's actions illegal because Trump did not receive permission to conduct a military operation. And Senator Jack Reed called Trump driven into a corner in the current situation.