Syria Receives More Russian SS-N-26 Yakhont Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles

Syria has received another batch of SS-N-26 Yakhont anti-ship cruise missiles from Russia. Syria had ordered the missiles in 2007 in a deal worth about $300 million and deliveries from Russia began in 2011.

The latest shipment of missiles have upgraded guidance systems compared to the earlier ones. The missiles received are the land-based version or Bastion for mobile coastal defense.

They join other advanced Russian arms already in Syria, such as the short-to-medium range Pantsir-S1 (SA-22) and medium-range Buk-M2 (SA-17) air defense systems.

The supersonic and sea-skimming Yakhont is the export version of the domestic 3M-55 Oniks (Onyx) developed by Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya. The specifications are:

• Length: 8.9 m
• Diameter: 0.7 m
• Wingspan: 1.7 m
• Weight: 3900 kg (with booster)
• Warhead: 200 kg
• Range: 120 km (Lo-Lo flight profile) or 290 km (Hi-Lo flight profile)
• Maximum Speed: Mach 2.5
• Altitude: Between 10 m to 14000 m

The Yakhont is powered by an integrated liquid-fuelled ramjet with rocket booster and guided by a dual-mode active / passive radar seeker.

Besides Syria, the SS-N-26 has been exported to Vietnam and Indonesia. India also has the Brahmos, which is a modified version of the Yakhont developed in cooperation with Russia.

The Yakhont deliveries come at a time when Syria is engaged in an internal armed struggle with insurgents and faces the prospects of attack from abroad. Israel has already carried out air strikes at targets in Syrian territory.

Russia has been asked to stop arms deliveries to Syria, including the S-300PMU2 air-to-surface missiles. Russia had in the past suspended some deliveries, such as the Syrian purchase of MiG-29M fighter aircraft.

However, after events in Libya, Russia has become more proactive in the region. Compared to Libya, Syria is much more important to Russia, especially with the presence of a naval base.

Loss of Syria to unfriendly forces would greatly hurt Russian influence in the region. Not surprising, Russia has been boosting its naval presence in the Mediterranean with ships from the Russian Pacific Fleet, including a Udaloy class anti-submarine warfare destroyer.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/17/us-syria-crisis-russia-usa-idUSBRE94G0JY20130517

By One half 3544 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Israel Asks Russia Not To Proceed With S-300 Sale To Syria

Israel has requested Russia not to proceed with the sale of the long-range S-300PMU2 Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) Air Defense Systems (ADS) to Syria. Delivery of the first units is imminent within the next three months.

Russia and Syria are supposed to have agreed in 2010 to a $900 million deal to deliver mobile S-300 systems, consisting of radar units, transporter-erector-launchers, support vehicles and up to 144 missiles.

The S-300 (NATO: SA-10) is a family of SAM ADS that was first introduced by the Soviet Union during the late seventies. The system has been continually upgraded and improved with each successive version.

The S-300PMU2 is the latest version in the S-300 family with improvements such as extended missile range up to 200 km, new radar and the ability to intercept short-range tactical ballistic missiles.

The S-300 is noted for its vertically launched missiles using the cold-launch method. The S-300 was used to develop the S-400, which has only recently started entering service with the Russian armed forces.

Besides the S-300, Syria already possesses other advanced Russian ADS, including the short-to-medium range Pantsir-S1 (NATO: SA-22), which mounts dual 30 mm guns and up to 12 missiles with a range up to 20 km.

Syria also has the medium-range Buk-M2 (NATO: SA-17) with a range up to 50 km. All are mobile and designed to complement each other to form an Integrated Air Defense System.

Should Syria receive all systems and if war does break out with other countries, it will be the first time they will see actual full-blown combat. An older version of the SA-17, the Buk-M1 was used by Georgia to shoot down Russian aircraft.

It should also reignite the debate of SAM versus aircraft, which has been ongoing for several decades. Some countries, such as Russia and China, give more or less equal weight to both with each having their own strengths depending on the situation.

Other countries tend to place priority on aircraft over SAM batteries in the belief that aircraft will have the edge and therefore deserve to be allocated available resources.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/09/us-syria-crisis-israel-idUSBRE9480FP20130509

By Фальшивомонетчик [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Brazil Wants to Buy Russian Pantsir-S1 SPAAG and Igla-S MANPADS

According to Russian sources, General Jose Carlos De Nardi, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Brazilian Armed Forces, is to discuss the acquisition of 3 batteries of Pantsir-S1 / SA-22 Greyhound systems and 2 batteries of 9K338 Igla-S / SA-24 Grinch Man Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS).

The Igla-S is the latest version of the 9K38 Igla, weighs 19 kg with a 2.5 kg warhead and comes with a two-color infrared seeker to engage targets at a distance of up to 6 km.

The Pantsir-S1 is a combined gun-missile Self Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun (SPAAG) system from Russia's KBP Design Bureau and designed to succeed the Tunguska-M1 for short to medium range air defense.

The system is usually mounted on a 8 x 8 wheeled truck, but can be modified according to customer needs. A naval version also exists.

The Pantsir-S1 can detect targets at up to 36 km and normally comes with both a search and tracking radar. Targets can also be engaged through electro-optical means.

The Pantsir-S1 can engage targets at up to range of 20 km and an altitude of 15 km with 2 x 6 57E6 surface-to-air missiles guided by radio command. It can also engage targets at a maximum range of 4 km and a maximum altitude of 3 km with two dual 2A38M 30 mm guns.

The Pantsir-S1 has previously been exported to the United Arab Emirates, Algeria and Syria.


http://en.rian.ru/military_news/20130203/179202191/Brazil-Wants-to-Buy-Russian-Anti-Aircraft-Weaponry--Defense.html

By A.Savin [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

By Mike1979 Russia [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons