missile Archives

Turkish-Russian missile deal puts NATO on edge

February 14, 2018 by administrator

Turkish-Russian missile

Ankara has inked a defense deal with Moscow that could further derail ties with its NATO allies. How will they react? And could the deal still be reversed? Teri Schultz reports from Brussels.

As relations continue to fray over the clashes between Turkey and American-backed Kurdish forces in the northwestern Syrian region of Afrin, Ankara’s ties with Moscow are strengthening, exacerbating the tension with Washington.

Despite months of warnings from NATO allies both publicly and privately, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has finalized his decision to upgrade his country’s air defense with a$2.5 billion (€2.03 billion)-investment in a Russian surface-to-air missile system, the S-400 “Triumf.”

It’s not clear whether the Turkey-Russian sale is past the point of no return. Even NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg wouldn’t hazard a guess ahead of this week’s defense ministers’ meeting. He said Turkey needs to clarify the status of the contract.

Stoltenberg said that Ankara is also discussing missile-defense cooperation with the Franco-Italian EUROSAM consortium that came in second to Russia’s bid. The US defense giant Raytheon also vied for the contract.

NATO diplomats speaking off the record due to the sensitivity of the subject said they believe the decision can still be reversed. There’s a precedent for that: In 2013 Turkey announced it would choose China’s Precision Machinery to supply its its first long-range air and anti-missile program. NATO allies protested vociferously and Ankara scrapped the program.

‘Not a bluff’

But no one should expect the same outcome this time, warned Tulin Daloglu, publisher and chief editor of the online Turkish current affairs magazine Halimiz.com. “Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400s is not a bluff,” she told DW. “It is a shout out to Washington that it is crossing a red line” with its longstanding support to Kurdish groups that Ankara views as terrorist organizations, such as the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia.

Officials speaking critically of the Turkish move are always careful to add that military purchases are any government’s unilateral decision. Nonetheless, the displeasure is evident. “The principal of sovereignty obviously exists in acquisition of defense equipment,” General Petr Pavel, chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, said last fall, “but the same way that nations are sovereign in making their decision, they are also sovereign in facing the consequences of that decision.” NATO officials were quick to explain Pavel wasn’t threatening retaliation, but rather underlining that the Russian “Triumf” would be forced to stand alone in Turkey, as it could never be integrated into NATO’s system.

Russian system best plugs ‘vulnerability’

“The objective here is not to push the envelope or to create problems for NATO itself — Turkey has other objectives,” explained Sinan Ulgen, chairman of the Istanbul-based think tank, the Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies and a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe. “The purchase of the S-400 came from a perceived vulnerability in Turkey’s air defenses, which is real, and the Russian offer was the best one on the table in terms of its delivery and ability to address that gap. But of course this is creating problems.”

Ulgen’s Carnegie colleague Marc Pierini described to DW more specifically what some of those problems will be on on the practical side. He pointed out the Turkish Air Force will not know how to operate the S-400s, so they will need Russian “instructors”, who Pierini envisions “camping out in Turkish Air Force headquarters,” where of course there is plenty of NATO-related information.

That’s not all. “In any missile interceptor you have something equivalent to the identification ‘friend or foe,'” Pierini explained, “so you have to connect your airplanes to these systems so that they’re not going to be shot down. So what do you do? Give access to the F-16 and F-35 operators in the Turkish Air Force to the Russians’ software in these missiles? And vice versa, do you give Russian instructors access to software in the Turkish Air Force airplanes?”

Japan deploys missile defense systems due to North Korea threat

August 12, 2017 by administrator

Due to the missile attack threat by North Korea, Japan has brought its missile defense systems to combat-readiness, reported RBC news agency of Russia. Such systems have been deployed in western Japan.

In addition, a cruiser, which is equipped with a system that can detect the launching of ballistic missiles, has been dispatched to the Sea of Japan.

According to a recent statement by North Korean authorities, if they were to launch ballistic missiles toward the American military base on the island of Guam, these missiles will fly over three Japanese prefectures.

The news on obtaining missiles with a range of up to 500 km is the propaganda of the Azerbaijani author.

November 8, 2016 by administrator

By Taron Hovhannisyan,

Analyst of “Razminfo” website Taron Hovhannisyan considers it unlikely that the news as if Azerbaijan is intensively negotiating with Pakistan on obtaining missiles with a range of up to 500 km is true. Note that the news on negotiations was spread by Russian “Nezavisimaya gazeta.” “The news in the Russian press is very incomprehensible, there is no reference where they got the information. The author is an Azerbaijani, at first glance the news makes an impression of a propagandistic material. It is also proved by that fact that there is no such announcement in any Azerbaijani press. By spreading this information Azerbaijan tries to show Russia that if they do not sell them weapons they can buy it from Pakistan or from others. In any case there was no official announcement or information from Azerbaijan about the negotiations on obtaining missiles. At the moment there is no use in talking whether the missiles with a range of up to 500 km can be comparative with Iskanders as there is no certain information about it yet,” said the analyst to Aravot.am.

Note that official Baku announced about the intention to start a joint armament production with Pakistan in March last year, when Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif arrived in Azerbaijan. It is about the intention of Pakistan to invest a half milliard dollar in the military-industry of Azerbaijan. “It is disinformation. In reality the Ministers of Trade and Military Industry of Pakistan announced that they were going to reach the bilateral trade with Azerbaijan in the coming 5 years up to 5 million dollars, we do not have any fact that they really start. If we look deeper at the question, Pakistan is looking for allies concerning the relationships with India in the question of Kashmir that will support them at least on the level of announcements. Pakistan is the only country that has not recognized the independence of Armenia, but in any case up till now expect announcements that they are going to start bilateral armament production they have not gone for any real cooperation. If we look at the trade volumes of these two countries of the last year, there no export from Azerbaijan to Pakistan, it is the same from Pakistan to Azerbaijan. Thus, the real volumes do not match with the volumes of announcements”, said Mr. Hovhannisyan.

Armenia world’s first country to receive Iskander missile system – Modest Kolerov

September 21, 2016 by administrator

Russian political scientist Modest Kolerov is impressed by the military parade in Yerevan on the occasion of the 25^th anniversary of Armenia’s independence.

Military balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been restored, he told Tert.am. The Iskander missile system at Armenia’s disposal rules out any aggression by Azerbaijan. This is the most important result, Mr Kolerov said.

Asked if he has information on whether the Armenian armed forces had the Iskander, Smerch, Buk, missile systems at their disposal before the four-day hostilities, Mr Kolerov said:

“The Iskander systems were available earlier, but they have now officially been supplied to Armenia. And they are now military equipment at Armenia’s disposal.”

Interestingly, Armenian political scientists have voiced an opinion that Russia will not allow Armenia to use the missile systems in question in case of war with Azerbaijan.

But Mr Kolerov believes it is a myth.

Asked if Azerbaijan has Iskander systems at its disposal, Mr Kolerov said that Armenia is the world’s first country to be supplied with the missile system.

“Russia has not yet sold Iskander to any country. Armenia is the only exception.”

Asked if Iskander at Artmena’s disposal will prove a deterrent for Azerbaijan, Mr Kolerov said:

“If Armenia wants to check Azerbaijan’s aggression, it will do it.”

Asking for Trouble: Erdogan Drags Europe Into New ‘Cuban Missile Crisis’?

November 29, 2015 by administrator

Turkey’s “unprecedented” provocation could well lead to a standoff reminiscent of the darkest days of the Cold War, political analyst Pyotr Iskenderov asserted, adding that by downing the Russian Su-24 bomber Ankara managed to achieve the unthinkable: it “outperformed” the Soviet Union’s archrival.

“It also proves the existence of a very dangerous geopolitical trend directly related to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, which have already become NATO or EU members, or cherish the dream of joining these organizations (often at any price),” the expert wrote for the Strategic Culture Foundation.

Turkey, according to Iskenderov, decided to shoot down the Russian bomber because President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is confident that NATO and particularly the US will back him no matter what happens. Moreover, “the desire to exploit the contradictions between great powers has always been an instrument of the (Neo)Ottoman Empire’s policy,” he explained in an article titled “Turkey Paves Way for Another Cuban Crisis.”

In addition, Turkey does not want the Syrian crisis to be resolved and is ready to add fuel to the fire if necessary, the analyst stated. Protracted civil war in the neighboring country will allow Ankara to continue its illegal oil business with ISIL. It is also trying to pit the radical group against the Kurds as much as possible.

ISIL’s defeat, according to the analyst, does not suit Turkey. “It also does not serve the interests of the United States implementing its strategy of controlled chaos and geopolitical isolation of Russia,” Iskenderov observed.

The downing of the Russian bomber, which was engaged in an anti-ISIL operation, cast a shadow on the already strained relations between Moscow and Western capitals. Therefore, preventing Erdogan from dragging Turkey and other European countries “into a new Cuban crisis” is a priority, the analyst emphasized.

“It should be noted that … as the crisis of 1962 unfolded the opposing sides did not bring down each other’s aircraft. These days, Turkey has ‘outperformed’ even the United States of the Cold War era,” Iskenderov added.

URGENT: Iran Rejects Russian Missile Crash describing as “psychological war”

October 8, 2015 by administrator

TEHRAN (FNA)– The Iranian defense ministry rejected reports alleging that four of the 26 cruise missiles fired from Russia’s Caspian fleet at ISIL targets in Syria have crash-landed in Iran, saying the reports are part of the West’s “psychological warfare”.

A source at the Iranian Defense Ministry told Sputnik that it has not received any report indicating the crash of the Russian missiles on Iranian territories, describing the allegations as “psychological war”.

Russia’s Defense Ministry also denied the US media reports of the alleged incident, stating that all missiles hit their designated targets.

“No matter how unpleasant and unexpected for our colleagues in the Pentagon and Langley was yesterday’s high-precision strike on Islamic State (of Iraq and the Levant) infrastructure in Syria, the fact remains that all missiles launched from our ships have found their targets,” ministry’s spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced on Wednesday that four Russian Navy warships had fired a total of 26 missiles at the positions of the ISIL terrorist group in Syria.

Earlier today, FNA released an amateur video showing the missiles fired from the Russian Navy warships in the Caspian Sea travelled through the sky of Iraq’s Kurdistan region before hitting their targets in Syria.

Earlier today, the CNN claimed that according to Pentagon officials, at least, four of the Russian cruise missiles have crash-landed in Iran.

The CNN report came after the Russian army announced that all the 26 missiles hit and completely destroyed their targets in the Syrian provinces of Raqqa, Idlib and Aleppo.

The missile attacks came from Russia’s fleet in the Caspian Sea, which borders Russia, Iran and three other littoral countries. The precision weapons reportedly hit all intended targets. The attacks apparently required cooperation from Iran and Iraq, as the missiles had to travel through their airspace to reach Syria.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it had worked with its partners to plan the flight path so that the missiles traveled only over desolate areas and didn’t pose any danger to civilians.

The missiles flew some 1,500 km before reaching their targets, proving their efficiency.

Four warships of the Caspian fleet were involved in the missile attacks, the Gepard-class frigate Dagestan and the Buyan-M-class corvettes Grad Sviyazhsk, Uglich and Veliky Ustyug. They fired cruise missiles from the Kalibr NK (Klub) VLS launchers. The missiles used are capable of hitting a target within 3 meters at a range of up to 2,500 km.

“psychological warfare” or “FACT” CNN report Russian Missiles Aimed at Syria Crashed in Iran,?

October 8, 2015 by administrator

However, Iranian state media made no immediate mention of the reports on Thursday, but one semi-official outlet, the Fars News Agency, noted the CNN report and called it an example of American propaganda against the Russians. They also called it “psychological warfare.”

Iranian Twitter and Facebook users did not immediately note any explosions in the area between the Caspian Sea and the Iraqi border.

Why Hollande and Erdogan in bed on Syria not on Kobani. “$4 billion missile defense systems”

November 3, 2014 by administrator

Why the rapprochement? Turkey knows how to corrupt

Paris is the only capital that seriously supports Ankara’s proposal to set up a buffer zone along the Syrian border. At the same time, Hollande and Erdogan are the only leaders who prioritize the slogan “Assad must go!” Assad is already in the crosshairs of Ankara and Paris. While the United States hints at cooperation with Tehran and Damascus in its strategy against IS, Turkey and France insist on calling the Assad regime “the real enemy.” The two capitals resist any solution that includes Assad, and both leaders continue to support the “moderate Syrian opposition,” which is far from being a real force on the ground today. Ankara, resistant to both Assad remaining in power and the emergence of a new Kurdish entity at its borders, seeks out the conditions denied by Washington by flirting with Paris. write Arzu Cakir Morin

France eagerly watches other mouth-watering projects in Turkey, such as nuclear energy deals and the TANAP pipeline project to carry Azeri natural gas to Western markets. Turkey’s recent cancelation of a $4 billion deal with China to procure long-range missile defense systems also seems to be an opportunity for France to keep relations with Turkey as close as possible.

But why is France the only Western country backing Ankara’s buffer zone proposal? Paris was originally behind the idea of creating an “autonomous zone” in northern Syria in 2012. The idea was to settle the opposition there and set up a transitional government. A well-known French journalist and Middle East expert, Georges Malbrunot of Le Figaro, objected to the idea and said the autonomous zone would make Free Syrian Army commanders easy targets. The United States turned down the idea for the same reason.

After a decade of frozen ties, Turkey appears to be satisfied with the thaw in relations with France. As a senior Turkish diplomat based in Paris often repeats, “If the bilateral ties collapsed years ago, it would not have much significance. But the relations are so high up these days, any fall from that height will be disastrous for both of us.”

source: al monitor