Posted on 06/23/2012 8:59:58 AM PDT by pabianice
If needed, large landing ships Nikolai Filchenkov and Caesar Kunikov will maintain security of Russian Navy's technical support base in Tartus (Syria), said a source in the Navy Mail HQ.
"Crews of Nikolai Filchenkov and Caesar Kunikov and rescue tug SB-15 with marines on board are capable to secure Russian citizens and evacuate property of the Tartus base, if required", the Navy spokesman told Interfax.
Black Sea Fleet (BSF) press secretary Capt 1 Rank Vyacheslav Trukhachev said on Monday that large landing ship Caesar Kunikov returned to Sevastopol from the Mediterranean cruise in order to prepare for new deployments.
"The ship led by Capt 2 Rank Alexei Bezaliuk was representing Russian Navy on Italian island Sicily. The crew attended the memorable activities devoted to Russian sailors rescued residents of Messina during the earthquake in 1908", Trukhachev reminded.
According to him, after replenishment of all supplies, landing ship Caesar Kunikov will be ready for new missions at sea.
Caesar Kunikov is a Project 775 oceangoing large landing ship. The ship can use different loading variants: 150 marines and ten T-55-type tanks with 40-men crew; twelve PT-76 amphibious tanks with 36-men crew; three T-55-type tanks with 12-men crew. Strength of landing party is 147 men. The ship is capable to transport a 650-ton cargo to the distance of 4,700 nautical miles.
Project 1171 large landing ship Nikolai Filchenkov displaces 4,650 tons; length is 113.1 meters; beam is 15.6 meters; draft is 4.5 meters; full speed is 16.5 knots; cruising range is 10,000 nm at 15 knots; cargo capacity is up to 1,500 tons; armament includes 57-mm gun mount ZIF-31B, 2 coupled 25-mm antiaircraft automatic guns 2M-3M, 3 x 8 portable air defense systems, MLRS A-215 Grad-M; complement is 55 men.
As was earlier reported, Russian Navy has a technical maintenance base in Syrian port Tartus. Floating workshop PM-138 is stationed there.
Intermediate seagoing tanker Iman supplying Russian naval assets in the Mediterranean Sea returned to Sevastopol late May 2012.
It was also reported that the deployment of BSF missile cruiser Moskva to the Mediterranean in order to patrol Syrian coast had been canceled in May.
The vessel Professor Katsman moored at the Tartus port on May 26. Referring to Human Rights First organization, numerous foreign and Russian media agencies reported that the ship was carrying a batch of Russian arms meant for Syrian government to counter opposition.
According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia sold air defense systems Buk-M2 and coastal defense missile systems Bastion-P. Besides, Russia and Syria signed contracts for 36 operational training airplanes Yak-130 for $550 mln and 25 fighters MiG-29. Earlier on, Syria received a batch of Strelets air defense systems, 36 antiaircraft gun/missile systems Pantsir-S1, and other arms.
As for experts, in case the international community imposes an arms embargo on Syria, Russia may lose about $4 bln.
60 years of keeping the Russian military out of the middle east down the drain.
so what, we can sink those ships without ever laying eyes on them
They will not be able to project much power into this region. Tactical air space is owned by the Israeli's and the USN. Naval and land operations by other powers are only possible with the permission of the US and Israel.
As recently demonstrated, the battle for control of the airspace in and near Syria won’t be a cakewalk. Libya was pre-school. Syria is post-doc.
Soooo, have the Saints put up a bounty on any Russian war ships in harbour???
Syria shoots down Turkish jet.
Russia send warships to Syria.
Crimean War deja vu?
The last time the IAF took on the Syrians was in 1982. Final score Israel 82 victories, Syria 0. They called it the Bekaa Valley Turkey Shoot.
Do you think it would be any different this time? Do you think the USN would do worse?
The question is, did the Russians upgrade the Syria’s antiaircraft systems after Israel destroyed the Syrian nuclear facility years ago? This a critical point for Putin. If he fails Syria, he’ll lose face at home. He can’t afford that with the current level of opposiion to him in Russia.
Putin has carefully created the imagine of himself as a strong man in every aspect. We need to ignore Syria and leave it alone. We need to quit smuggling weapons in via the CIA and turn a death ear to the Saudis demands.
As for the USA, these constant wars in the mid east and elsewhere might be unpopular at home but they result in the most sophisticated and modern armed forces anywhere. Forged in battle, as it were. US air tactics are constantly being upgraded. The result is the most experienced and lethal tactical air forces anywhere. I believe the US is fully prepared to take on any SAM installations in Syria or Iran.
The Israeli's are in a similar position. They are always probing their adversaries and they excel in drone and radar warfare. Their pilots are highly skilled and highly trained. Their (American made) aircraft are the best in the world.
SAMs need radar to find their targets. Get them to turn on their radar and they give away their position. When you know their position you can kill them with ASMs that ride the radar beam or smart bombs or cruise missles.
Very interesting. Putin has a lot invested in the Syrian situation. He can’t afford to have Russia’s abilities shown as inadequate. It’s not helpful for future sales and it doesn’t help with the creation of their own economic sphere.
We’re better off trading Syria to Russia for Iran and castrating Russia later by exporting LNG to Ukraine to shield Ukraine from Russian economic thuggery. Ukraine is the prize that Russia wants. That would also complicate Russian negotiations for continued use of Sevestapol as their Black Sea fleet headquarters.
Unforunately our Saudi masters seem to have nudged the administration into more active actions against Syria for the benefit of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Trading Syria for Iran? Where do you come up with such fantasy? Russia will defend the Islamofascist Iranian regime even more than they defend Socialist Syria. Russia is providing Iran with nuclear fuel and building them an atomic reactor. There would be no nuclear Iranian threat with out Russia! The Iranian threat IS THE RUSSIAN THREAT!
It’s been obvious from the beginning that Iran did not need to make their own nuclear fuel. Nor do they need nuclear derived energy for their people. The country is a net exporter of electricity. Iran still has developable hydro sources and has installed combustion fired turbines for power. That means their real intent all along was the desire to be able to enrich uranium for military purposes. If the Iranians are so smart why didn’t they develop the thorium process on their own?
As for the deaths of children, that really got to you didn’t it? How do you know the children weren’t killed to deliberately turn the western press against Assad? One British journalist detailed how insurgents deliberately tried to get his group killed by maneuvering them into an area under fire by Assad forces. Assad isn’t a choir boy but he’s a much better choice than the forces supported by the Saudis and apparently by our CIA too.
We’ve been the butt boys for the Saudis for far too long. Are you up for continuing that?
We’re being played for fools. Are you sure you want to accept without question the events and hand wringing that most of the western press is helping spread?
BTW, I have an antique bridge in NYC I’d like to sell you. I’ll hook you up with my Nigerian friends who can load up your bank account with enough money to buy it if you help them with a small money problem.
I am always on America’s side no matter what. I would never side with Russia or any other foreign country against America no matter what, Obama or no Obama. Anybody who does is a damned traitor. Obama won’t last forever you know. When he’s gone what excuse will you have for supporting America’s enemies then? Yes I support our Saudi allies against our Iranian enemies. You think I’m a fool if I don’t believe anti-American conspiracy theories that the CIA killed those children to make Syria look bad? Where did you hear that, the Russian state-run media? I heard that the CIA was behind the poisoning of Putin’s enemies too. Yeah, the CIA is always doing bad stuff and blaming it on Putin to make him look bad. Assad wouldn’t kill those children because islam is a religion of peace. Putin wouldn’t do it because he is a Christian. It had to be the CIA because only Americans could be so evil, right?
I am always on America’s side no matter what. I would never side with Russia or any other foreign country against America no matter what, Obama or no Obama. Anybody who does is a damned traitor. Obama won’t last forever you know. When he’s gone what excuse will you have for supporting America’s enemies then? Yes I support our Saudi allies against our Iranian enemies. You think I’m a fool if I don’t believe anti-American conspiracy theories that the CIA killed those children to make Syria look bad? Where did you hear that, the Russian state-run media? I heard that the CIA was behind the poisoning of Putin’s enemies too. Yeah, the CIA is always doing bad stuff and blaming it on Putin to make him look bad. Assad wouldn’t kill those children because islam is a religion of peace. Putin wouldn’t do it because he is a Christian. It had to be the CIA because only Americans could be so evil, right?
I am always on America’s side no matter what. I would never side with Russia or any other foreign country against America no matter what, Obama or no Obama. Anybody who does is a damned traitor. Obama won’t last forever you know. When he’s gone what excuse will you have for supporting America’s enemies then? Yes I support our Saudi allies against our Iranian enemies. You think I’m a fool if I don’t believe anti-American conspiracy theories that the CIA killed those children to make Syria look bad? Where did you hear that, the Russian state-run media? I heard that the CIA was behind the poisoning of Putin’s enemies too. Yeah, the CIA is always doing bad stuff and blaming it on Putin to make him look bad. Assad wouldn’t kill those children because islam is a religion of peace. Putin wouldn’t do it because he is a Christian. It had to be the CIA because only Americans could be so evil, right?
I am always on America’s side no matter what. I would never side with Russia or any other foreign country against America no matter what, Obama or no Obama. Anybody who does is a damned traitor. Obama won’t last forever you know. When he’s gone what excuse will you have for supporting America’s enemies then? Yes I support our Saudi allies against our Iranian enemies. You think I’m a fool if I don’t believe anti-American conspiracy theories that the CIA killed those children to make Syria look bad? Where did you hear that, the Russian state-run media? I heard that the CIA was behind the poisoning of Putin’s enemies too. Yeah, the CIA is always doing bad stuff and blaming it on Putin to make him look bad. Assad wouldn’t kill those children because islam is a religion of peace. Putin wouldn’t do it because he is a Christian. It had to be the CIA because only Americans could be so evil, right?
I don’t know who killed the children. I only know that the true story about what’s going on is not being reported in the western press with the posisble exception of Reuters. There is a tremendous PR effort underway to get us and NATO involved. The Saudis don’t have our best interests in mind. They have been playing us for suckers since OPEC was formed. We are slaves to oil.
It’s in our best long term interest to allow Putin to maintain Russian interests in Syria in return for their abandonment of Iran. We can hamstring Russia and Russian interests with LNG exports later to countries that Russia influences or bullies via control of natural gas supplies.
Tha would also mean we can sharply curtail the cashflow to countries that fund terrorism.
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