I don’t buy the idea that the Russians purposely sent inoperable systems.
The ineffectiveness of the Russian systems was not surprising when you consider the following:
- Israeli training/efficiency has always Provo far superior to Syrian training/efficiency
- Airborne ECM, possibly in the form of Navy EA6-B’s along the Med coast and Syrian/Iraqi border conducting SOJ
- The Russian radar systems that made the mistake of transmitting could have easily been silenced by ARM’s, especially considering the very limited range of the Russian SAM’s
- Given the limited range of the Russian SAM’s and the limited number of systems reportedly delivered to Syria so far, the Israelis were probably able to find safe corridors where the SAM’s did not overlap
Perhaps. But it is always wise to keep your eyes open and your powder dry.