Posted on 08/11/2008 8:19:25 PM PDT by Flavius
Col. Sam Gardiner notes, in an interview with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now, Russia has deployed tactical nuclear weapons to South Ossetia. The SS-21 Missile launchers are relatively small compared to bombs that have already been used against Georgia by the Russian air force. However, this move does indicate Russia is potentially upping the game from a conventional weapons war to a tactical nuclear weapons war. Gardiner notes that at a news conference on Sunday, the US Deputy National Security advisor has noted these weapons arriving in South Ossetia.
Business Wire confirms the subject matter of the news briefing in Beijing. Link
(Excerpt) Read more at freeandindependent.wordpress.com ...
Holy s#%!. Putin just upped the pucker factor on this one.
Yep....timing is everything in love and war.
Comparing the two photos, that does look like an SS-21 motor assembly. the entire tube flattened when it hit that car, pushing the fins closer together. It also has the two bolts in front of the fin
Do you happen to know if the President came home at the previously scheduled time or was the departure moved ahead?
The missile can be equipped with conventional HE, chemical or nuclear warheads with a weight of 482 kg.
Agree with the posturing, these are not very effective in a cobat significant standpoint, and I doubt any US commander would give them much notice. They only carry a 1000 pound warhead, not even equivalent to a good 2,000 pound bomb with guidance. I would take the bomb any day.
Your'e right ... they could be armed with just HE, but why bother?
You have to wonder what the value of using a conventional warhead on a missile like that would be. Chemical ? That's a nuke by old US standards.
It has been reported that the SS-21 has four types of conventional warhead; unitary HE fragmentation, anti-runway, anti-armour and anti-personnel submunitions, with 50 anti-armour or anti-personnel munitions carried in each warhead. Following the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty photographs of the SS-23, it would seem quite possible that the SS-21 also has an earth penetration HE...
Putin’s soul long left his eyes...It was a mote in Bush’s eye!
This is getting scary. Good article concerning it all;
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D92GG0QG0&show_article=1
Most likely route for Russians would be through Armenia. They already have a base there. They can destroy the pipeline running through Georgia anytime. Dont know how the expatriot Armenians will react.
Odd but I thought unguided rockets got classed like the old FROG designations.
SS-21’s becoming obsolete, so use them up.
Article 27E of the Galactic compact requires it.
Appreciate the poing, BTW.
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