This Article is From Oct 03, 2015

As Russia Returns to Middle East, a Look at Some of Its Weapons

As Russia Returns to Middle East, a Look at Some of Its Weapons

Some of the fighter planes Russia is using (Photo courtesy: www.sukhoi.org)

In just a few days of engagement, the small military force Russia has deployed to its new base in Syria has scored outsized political and diplomatic gains. For its first combat mission in the Middle East since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had sent about 50 aircraft and about 2,000 marines to the base, along with support and logistics gear.

Here is a look at some of the military assets Russia has on the scene.

Workhorse warplanes: Su-24s and Su-25s

What They Are: Making up the core of the force deployed in Syria are two battle-tested models that date from Soviet times, Su-24 fighters (known to NATO as Fencers) and Su-25 ground-attack jets (Frogfoots). They have been familiar sights streaking over battlefields from Chechnya to Ukraine.

Why They Are There: The choice of the Frogfoot in particular suggests that the Kremlin is going with what works. Analysts say the Russians will try for a high rate of sorties, capitalizing on having their new base so close to the action, and a relatively low-tech subsonic plane like the Frogfoot can be better suited for that kind of work than more sophisticated planes.

Why They May Matter: The Syrian air force also has Su-25s, but Russia's planes have been upgraded to fight at night, a capability the Syrian planes lack.

Su-30M Flankers

What They Are: Highly maneuverable jets designed mainly for aerial dogfights.

Why They Are There: Their presence is worrisome to U.S. military officials because they would not seem to have an obvious mission: Neither the Islamic State, Russia's ostensible enemy in Syria, nor other rebel forces have aircraft for it to dogfight with.

Why They May Matter: They may be intended to warn the West away from trying to create a no-fly zone without Russian acquiescence.

Su-34 Fullbacks

What They Are: A newer and more sophisticated ground-attack aircraft.

Why They Are There: This is their first known combat deployment, and they may have been sent specifically to test them in combat conditions.

Why They May Matter: A fact sheet published by the Russian state news media says they have longer range and better air-to-air combat capabilities than the Frogfoots. The Russians reportedly used them in a strike in eastern Syria on Friday, flying in a zone that is also traversed by U.S. jets bombing Islamic State targets.

Pantsir S-1 Greyhound systems

What They Are: Radar-guided anti-aircraft artillery and missile systems mounted on tractor-trailer truck beds.

Why They Are There: To protect the Russian air base.

Why They May Matter: They are capable of defending only a small zone around the airfield, so they have little strategic impact. But they serve as a warning for other air forces to stay well clear of the Russian base.

Naval forces

What They Are: Russia has positioned a naval battle group at sea in the eastern Mediterranean, including ship-based long-range surface-to-air missiles, according to a defense ministry spokesman.

Why They Are There: Though the fighting against the Islamic State is raging far from the Syrian coast in the country's desert interior, support for President Bashar Assad, a Russian ally, is centered in the coastal hill country of the northwest where his religious minority, the Alawites, are concentrated. Russia's air base is in the region, near Latakia, and Russia has long had a naval supply and maintenance base at Tartus.

Why They May Matter: Among other capabilities, the naval forces can control large stretches of airspace. The Russian authorities have cautioned civilian aircraft to avoid the area, even at high altitudes. It is a warning, needless to say, to the U.S. Air Force as well.
 
© 2015, The New York Times News Service
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