Putin Tells Defense Chiefs to Strengthen Russian Nuclear Forces - by Stepan Kravchenko - http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-11/putin-tells-defense-chiefs-to-strengthen-russian-nuclear-forces
President Vladimir Putin ordered defense chiefs to strengthen Russia's strategic nuclear forces amid rising tensions with the U.S. over the global balance of power.
New weapons should go to "all parts" of the nuclear triad of air, sea, and land forces, Putin told a Defense Ministry meeting in Moscow on Friday. Action must also be taken "to improve the effectiveness of missile-attack warning systems and aerospace defense."
Russia's military will have five new nuclear regiments equipped with modern missile complexes next year, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told the same meeting. More than 95 percent of the country's nuclear forces are at a permanent state of readiness, he said.
Putin's moves to reinforce Russian nuclear capabilities are reviving Cold War tensions with the U.S. and its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The U.S. warned in June that the Kremlin's "nuclear saber-rattling" is undermining stability in an attempt to intimidate European neighbors. Russia's nuclear arsenal, its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, in July led Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to call the country the most pressing threat to U.S. national security.
Putin said Russia's military must continue its program of training drills and devote special attention to the "transport of troops over long distances" as well as "strategic nuclear deterrence" and the ability to airlift forces including "anti-aircraft, missile and electronic elements."
New Weapons
About 56 percent of Russian nuclear weapons are new, including modern missiles, upgraded aircraft and a strengthened submarine capacity, Shoigu said. Russia has also expanded the military's combat capabilities by reinforcing its western and south-western army groups and building four bases in the Arctic region, he said.
NATO's troop presence in the Baltic states and central Europe increased sharply in the past year, Shoigu said. The U.S. also has about 200 nuclear weapons sited in Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and Turkey and has plans to modernize them, he said.
Amid a conflict with NATO member Turkey over the shooting down of a Russian warplane near the Syrian border last month, Putin ordered defense officials to "react harshly" to threats to Russia's forces operating in Syria. Any such threats should face "immediate extermination," he said.
The Russian air campaign in Syria against Islamic State and other militants is aimed at protecting Russia from terrorism, and actions are being synchronised with operations of special forces against domestic threats, Putin said. Airstrikes are being coordinated with both President Bashar al-Assad's forces and those of the opposition Free Syrian Army, which has more than 5,000 troops fighting terrorists with weapons supplied by Russia, he said.
Islamic State has more than 60,000 terrorists and is expanding its influence in Syria and Iraq, Shoigu said. Russian airstrikes in Syria that began Sept. 30 have hit 8,000 terrorist infrastructure targets during 4,000 combat missions, he said.
Russia sends warning to West with show of strength in Syria - David Blair - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/12047257/Russia-sends-warning-to-West-with-show-of-strength-in-Syria.html
From submarine-launched cruise missiles to advanced warplanes, Vladimir Putin is using his intervention in Syria to showcase Russia's military might
Until last Tuesday, America and Britain were the only countries with a proven ability to fire cruise missiles at land targets from submarines.
Then a salvo of missiles burst through the placid surface of the Mediterranean and soared into a cloudless sky, demonstrating that Russia had become the third member of this elite club.
The cruise missiles launched from a Kilo-class submarine provided visible proof of how President Vladimir Putin is using his intervention in Syria as a showcase for Russian military prowess.
Advanced warplanes - never previously used in combat - are being dispatched into Syrian skies, the best tanks in the Russian army are fighting on the ground, and flights of cruise missiles are soaring overhead.
Yet the Syrian rebels on the receiving end have no air defenses and precious little advanced weaponry. There is no obvious military reason for why Russia would employ the heaviest sledgehammers in its arsenal to crack some relatively small nuts.
Experts believe that Mr Putin's real goal is to seize the attention of America and Nato. Having increased Russian military spending by at least 50 per cent since 2005, Mr Putin wants to prove that his armed forces have matched some of the West's most formidable military assets.
The cruise missiles emerging from the Mediterranean were probably the most important element of this display.
For the last 20 years, the United States Navy has been able to fire Tomahawk land-attack missiles from its Los Angeles class submarines. The Royal Navy has done the same from its Trafalgar class submarines, now being replaced by the Astute class.
Given that cruise missiles have a range of at least 1,000 miles, this allows both navies to strike targets almost anywhere in the world, using an undetectable launch-pad hidden in the depths of the ocean. As such, the submarine-launched cruise missile represents a pinnacle of naval might.
The Anglo-American duopoly was being challenged by France, which will acquire the ability to fire cruise missiles when its Barracuda class submarines enter service in 2017. China is also developing a version of this weapon.
But it turns out that Russia got there first. The Kremlin was quick to release video footage of the missiles bursting out of the sea in the direction of Syria. "As a result of the successful launches by the aviation and submarine fleet, all targets were destroyed," announced Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defense minister.
Whether cruise missiles are the "most cost effective way" of destroying defenseless targets in Syria is open to question, said Brigadier Ben Barry, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
But cost and efficiency may not be part of the calculation. "If I was a Russian staff officer, I'd be saying 'this does have a deterrent effect - Nato is going to sit up and take notice of this'," said Brig Barry.
Earlier, Russia had launched cruise missiles from four warships in the Caspian - the first time that its navy had fired these weapons from surface vessels.
"There is an element of demonstrating capability in order to gain strategic leverage more widely," said Brig Barry. "If they want to deter what they consider to be adventurism from an irresponsible Nato, then it helps to show they've got the capability to fire cruise missiles from both surface warships and submarines."
Ordinary Russians, who are enduring the pain of economic crisis even as military spending rises, are also part of the intended audience. "This helps to justify to the Russian public the sort of resources that have been put into military modernization," added Brig Barry.
Other fruits of Mr Putin's military modernization program have been placed on display since his expedition to Syria began on Sept 30. The Russian air force has taken delivery of 46 new Su-34 Fullback strike aircraft. These advanced warplanes are now being sent into action to destroy targets in Syria, no doubt allowing Russian experts to evaluate their performance.
Earlier this month, it emerged that the T90 main battle tank - the Russian army's most advanced model - was being deployed on the front line in Syria. The older T72 had proved vulnerable to anti-tank missiles used by the rebels.
But the T90 is protected by the "Shtora" jammer, a defense system which disrupts the guidance mechanism of any incoming missiles. This protective shield will now receive its first test in combat.
In the air, Russia has sent its most formidable strategic bomber - the Tu-160 Blackjack - to strike targets in Syria. This swing-wing supersonic aircraft was first designed as Russia's answer to the American Rockwell B1 Lancer. Its original task was to penetrate heavily defended airspace and deliver nuclear weapons.
There is no obvious military reason for dispatching such a leviathan to punish rebels in Syria - unless, of course, the goal is to impress a wider audience.
But there is another, less obvious lesson from Mr Putin's brazen display. If there is a weapon that has not appeared in Syria, that is probably because it does not actually work at all.
For years, Western observers have doubted the operational capability of the only aircraft carrier in the Russian fleet, Admiral Kuznetsov. With its Mediterranean coastline, Syria is the kind of the country that would be vulnerable to air strikes launched from carriers.
But, so far, Admiral Kuznetsov has been conspicuously absent from the campaign. Mr Putin is taking the opportunity to show the West all the firepower at his command. But he is also revealing what he does not possess.
Russia's Mi-35M 'flying tank' attack helicopter debuts in the Syrian theater - http://www.debka.com/article/25095/Russia's-Mi-35M-'flying-tank'-attack-helicopter-debuts-in-the-Syrian-theater-
In the wars of the 21st century, a successful special-forces operation usually starts out with precise intelligence gathered by satellites, surveillance planes or drones. It continues under cover of precision strikes from high altitudes by cruise missiles or bombs dropped from warplanes, and ends with a ground force cleansing the field ready for infantry or tank forces to go in.
The high command in Moscow decided that, at this juncture of the Syrian war, its most advanced helicopter, the multi-purpose Mi-35M (NATO-designated Hind-E), was just what was needed for moving small teams of elite troops at speed into battle against Syrian rebels or Islamic State fighters, while covering their landing with a massive blast of fire, and later for lifting them out.
This will be the Mi-35M's debut on a real battlefield and the first time non-Russian eyes have seen it in action.
The helicopter, the product of the Russian Rostvertol manufacturers, was developed as an upgraded version of the Mi-24 in terms of maneuverability, weapons, ammunition, troop capacity, avionics and intelligence-gathering. Manufacture began in 2005 after years of research.
The final product's versatility is eminently suited to action in the Syrian arena, For example, it can deliver an 8-man commando team with equipment and ammunition, carry out medication evacuation (MEDEVAC) missions, and conduct surveillance sorties with payloads attached to the helicopter's belly and under its stub wings, for capturing images or picking up electromagnetic signals.
Designed as an attack helicopter, the Mi-35M is fitted with two rotating cannons that fire 23mm shells and antitank missiles. When so configured, it can carry 16 missiles, eight under each of its small wings.
The pilots sit in a stepped "tandem" cockpit behind wide-vision glass. Night vision technology enables them to view the scene just as well by night as by day in all weather conditions. The rotor is resistant to gunfire and the fuselage fortified by titanium plates,
Moscow had four motives for bringing its newest helicopter to Syria:
1. Sales promotion. The most effective sales strategy for weapons system is to showcase their performance in real battle conditions. Russia is hard up and needs to push its munitions exports for extra foreign currency revenue. Sales of the Mi-35M have been anemic. So far, only Brazil, Venezuela, Iraq and Azerbaijan have placed orders based on plans on paper. Russia needs high-prestige clients to boost sales and hopes they will be impressed when they see the "flying tank" in action for the first time.
2. A show of muscle. To gain respect as a leading world power, Moscow has poured into Syria a glittering array of muscular warplanes, missiles and its most impressive advanced hardware in the sight of rivals and allies alike.
3. Field experience. The new helicopter has not yet proven itself, certainly not in operations or in Middle Eastern weather conditions and topography. Its maneuverability, night flights, firing accuracy, resistance to electronic warfare and many other tests in real combat conditions will make it more effective and thus more marketable.
4. In light of its warplanes' multiple missions in Syria, and especially following the recent downing of a Su-24 by the Turkish air force, Russia felt the need of a fast, effective and nimble helicopter, which is also capable of locating and rescuing downed pilots in enemy territory and carrying a medical team for urgent treatment of injured combatants.
Is Russia gearing up for war with Turkey? - http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/205112#.VnRBAzbSkaF
Missile cruiser deployed to Syrian coast after jet shot down - but its massive nuclear-capable arsenal isn't meant for fighting jihadists.
Captain Alexander Shvarts watched on as the iron covers whirred open on the air defense system aboard the Russian navy's Mosvka missile cruiser off the Syrian coast.
"This system can fire up to twelve missiles at any one time," Shvarts said Thursday during a highly choreographed press tour of the ship arranged by the Russian defense ministry. "The range is around 70 kilometers (43 miles)."
The Moskva - flagship of Russia's Crimea-based Black Sea Fleet - is the largest warship the Kremlin has sent to support its bombing campaign in the war-torn nation.
It is patrolling some 10 nautical miles (13 kilometers) offshore in the eastern Mediterranean.
Until about three weeks ago, the Soviet-era craft, built in 1983, was further out to sea providing protection for ships delivering supplies for the Russian base on land.
But after a Turkish F-16 fighter blasted a Russian jet out of the sky along the Syrian border it was ordered closer to shore to help ward off any future attacks on Russian planes bombing across Syria.
"Now our main task is to provide air cover for the Russian base at Hmeimim in Syria and for the Russian planes carrying our their tasks over the country," Shvarts said.
Nuclear capable
Russia has bolstered its bombing campaign in Syria from the water - firing cruise missiles from a submarine in the Mediterranean earlier this month and from warships in the Caspian Sea far to the east.
The Moskva, however, is designed primarily to take out other vessels at sea and aircraft in the sky and has not used any of its fierce array of weaponry in the Syrian operation.
That includes Vulkan missiles, designed to sink other warships. They can be armed with nuclear warheads, although there are none currently on board.
"It would be like shooting sparrows with a cannon," military spokesman Igor Konashenkov told AFP during a tour of the ship.
"These are just not the right weapons to use to hit our targets in Syria."
After the downing of its jet by Turkey Moscow also rushed its latest S-400 air defense system to the Hmeimim base in Syria.
That system has a range and capacity that far outstrips the weaponry on board the Moskva, meaning the ship may not have much strategic necessity.
But by dispatching a key warship like the Moskva - with its crew of some 500 - the Kremlin seems to be making a clear statement of strength.
During the press tour for some few dozen journalists from Russia, Syria and international outlets - the first of its kind to a ship involved in the Syria operation - the military proudly showed off the bristling array of hardware on board.
The huge gun turrets swiveled back and forth and rocket systems were primed for the cameras.
"Overall, including the Moskva, we have 11 vessels in this area involved in the operation, including landing ships, smaller missile boats and supply craft," said Commander Oleg Krivorog.
Now the Moskva remains roving up and down the coast of Syria - and it does not look like it will be returning to its home port of Sevastopol any time soon.
"We are waiting now for a rotation and to receive new crew," Captain Shvarts told AFP as he bid farewell to the journalists.
"As for any date on the end of our mission, that I am not going to talk about."
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