Russia’s Air Defence Challenge in Syria

Russia is heavily invested in and has deployed its’ most capable air defense systems in Syria; Su-35s variants and Surface to air, S-400 Triumf. to Latakia, Northwester Syria, on the Med. Russia implied that it could target, track, escort or destroy, coalition aircraft flying west of the Euphrates. Kremlin has compelling reasons to avoid doing so at all costs. Tit-for-tat escalation would follow, and the Shayrat example shows how TLAMs and other standoff weapons would quickly swamp S-400 and point defenses at Latakia. Likewise Russia’s Su-35s and some derivatives are nimble, but not combat prime and would be very unlikely to come off better from a flashpoint engagement. The shoot=down of a Syrian bomber by F/A-18E mid June and recant Tomahawk strike on the Syrian Chemical Weapons Base, at Shayrat has provided a major illustration of Russia’s difficulties. Despite advanced warning from the US military, unsophisticated Tomahawks presented an insurmountable challenge for Russian S-400. The US is now calling the Russian air defense bluff.

Israeli RECON aircraft are seriously challenged now over Lebanon and Syria and with the Hizbollah buildup throughout the region a Gog and Mgog war is in the offering.

Good! The US can learn what CAPABILITIES Russia is developing and how to defend it.

President Trump and his folks showed great wisdom is having a B1B spook the North Koreans but having both South Korean and Japanese fighter escorts.

1. It sends the right message (North Korea must take on South Korea, Japan, AND the US.
2. Show the capability of US Allies but not the US (F35's and F22's).

3 posted on 07/09/2017 11:50:51 PM PDT by topher (Traditional values -- especially family values -- which have been proven over time.)

President Trump and his folks showed great wisdom is having a B1B spook the North Koreans but having both South Korean and Japanese fighter escorts.

And not yet at the end of the first 6 months of the Trump presidency.

Fast learners all.

Mucho MAGA WINs.

4 posted on 07/10/2017 12:40:11 AM PDT by spokeshave (The Fake Media tried to stop us from going to the White House, I am President and they are not. DJT)

What would Air Force intelligence pay to discover the capabilities of the S400, especially it’s electronic protection (EP) capabilities? And vulnerabilities. What a great real world test environment!

Hell, we should pay the Russians to defend Syria.

I love it when an enemy can provide us with a test environment, but we should not mistake the combat modes we wee in Syria for the missile's operating modes when used to defend Russia. I would point out the defection of a MiG-25 pilot who flew to Japan. As U.S. intel experts fully examined the plane, it turned out to have electronic operating capabilities that were only to be used in time of war with the U.S. In short, if we had depended solely on what we thought we knew, our pilots would have been totally screwed.

OTOH, if we could capture one intact, THAT would be nice.

6 posted on 07/10/2017 4:34:40 AM PDT by Pecos (A Constitutional republic shouldnÂ’t need to hold its collective breath in fear of lawyers.)

That MiG-25 that defected to Japan also had a self destruct button directly connected to the equivalent of a stick of dynamite, with no timer or delay.

The pilots weren’t told of the lack of delay.

Maybe we could ask our buddies, THE KURDS, to team with Israel on that wish list for Russian hardware...

It might be a stretch, but I think the Mossad working with the Kurds might possibly snatch a Russian fighter jet from a Syrian airbase.

However, the Russians may not be fool enough to leave one of their 'good' jets on the ground in Syria...

8 posted on 07/10/2017 9:34:19 AM PDT by topher (Traditional values -- especially family values -- which have been proven over time.)

Maybe we could ask our buddies, THE KURDS, to team with Israel on that wish list for Russian hardware...

It might be a stretch, but I think the Mossad working with the Kurds might possibly snatch a Russian fighter jet from a Syrian airbase.

However, the Russians may not be fool enough to leave one of their 'good' jets on the ground in Syria...

9 posted on 07/10/2017 9:34:21 AM PDT by topher (Traditional values -- especially family values -- which have been proven over time.)

I don’t want their export jet. I think a good continued relation with India could solve that data quest. I want us to get one of their export S-400 birds (and maybe one of the missile control vans). Dream on, dream on....

10 posted on 07/10/2017 10:04:27 AM PDT by Pecos (A Constitutional republic shouldnÂ’t need to hold its collective breath in fear of lawyers.)

They need to understand that they'd have to defend against US MIRVed ICBM warheads.

11 posted on 07/10/2017 10:08:06 AM PDT by PLMerite ("Government should be done to cattle and not human beings." - John Milius)

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