Posted on 12/16/2005 8:11:20 AM PST by kronos77
Posted 05-Dec-2005 04:44 Related stories: Coastal & Littoral, Contracts - Awards, Issues - International, Middle East - Other, Missiles - Surface-Air, Other Corporation, Radars, Russia, Surface Ships - Combat Also on this day: 05-Dec-2005 » ORD_SAM_SA-15_Radar.jpg Tor M-1 (click to view full)
Novosti in Russia and western media outlets like Reuters are reporting that Russia will sell about 30 Tor M-1 (SA-15 Gauntlet) surface-to-air missile systems. Greece had bought 21 of the systems and had the right to another 29, but scrapped the deal in the late 1990s. Those missiles will now find their way to Iran, where they will be emplaced between 2006-2008 around the Bushehr nuclear power plant. That reactor is due to be completed by Russia in 2007, and is widely seen as a component of Iran's atomic bomb program.
The SA-15 can reportedly identify up to 48 targets and fire at two targets simultaneously at a height of 20 to 6,000 meters (60-20,000 feet). It is capable of engaging aircraft, helicopters, UAV, precision-guided weapons and various types of guided missiles. Interfax news agency separately quoted a source as saying the deal, which would also include modernising Iran's air force and supplying some patrol boats, was worth more than $1 billion, including $700 million or so for the SA-15s.
If we don't have atleast 3 very good satellites parked over Iran already, we better get them there fast. When we need to hit those crazy basterds, we had better have all our ducks in a row.
Smash Iran now.
This is dangerous, much more so than the upgraded SA-3's that were posted previously.
I think the Jews are making them nervous. Note that the missiles will be installed around a major nuclear installation. They are obviously anticipating an attack on that installation.
Once upon a time, if divisions were lining up on the border, then people knew that a war was likely. Nowadays, I think sudden purchases of a series of advanced weapon systems sends the same message. Iran has a plan. They aren't buying this stuff just for show.
Then Israel needs to extend the bombing campaign to have a preplan to destroy the Iranian defense system supplied by our good friend the Russians.
Israel recently said that these missiles will make their lives much more difficult, implied that they would like to attack before the missiles are in place and on-line...
Just a matter of time....soon
The Russians better be getting cash up front, because the regime (like Saddam's ) might not be around to pay on extended terms.
Retrofit the Iowa and send her in to take care of that site. I believe it is close enough to the sea for her guns, and she could flatten that site in minutes.
hopefully they react soon... i dont think the USA can wage an attack without some major political flak.
So Russia is feeding the crocodile.
The Soviet Union was bound by treaty with Iran to respond with Soviet troops into Iran in the event of an invasion by a foreign power- set in place when Saddam's war with the Iranians was in full force and Saddam was quietly accepting military aid from the Israelis, and the Ayatollahs were hedging their bets.
I do not know if that treaty would still be in force since the Soviet breakup, nor how shifting global alliances might affect it. But if I were the Iranians, I'd very carefully read the instruction manual for their new SA-15 [9M330/ 9M331] Gauntlets to see what the effects of a severe dose of electromagnetic pulse would do to them....
But something has to be done soon, and Israel for sure will not tolerate nuclear weapons hanging over its head. But if Iran's crazy president doesn't stop talking, even the Europeans might be glad if Israel takes out Iran. Ahmadinejad is the best thing that has happened for the development of freedom in Iran. You can't put your head in the sand anymore and say that the enemy in Iran really mean well. He is the Howard Dean of Iran. Even his radical domestic supporters are telling him to shut up already!
I doubt it would be a ground war if the US took on Iran
IPB has been ongoing for many years.
It certainly wouldn't be a land war like in Iraq. Iran has 3x the land area and more than 3x the population that Iraq has. The Iranian conventional military has the strength comparable to Iraq's 1991 military force until we destroyed them. Our best hope is for the Iranian people to overthrow their own leaders, which has a good chance of occuring, if we wait long enough. The best option of speeding up regime change by an external threat would be to perform an oil blockade of Iran. They can't last for long with deep cuts in their oil revenues. The only problem is that Iran would consider it an act of war, and then you'd have a war anyway.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.