Combat use of helicopters in Syria. Baptism of fire: what Russian weapons were first used in Syria

The Russian military operation in Syria has become not only a test of the military reform, but also a kind of "review of achievements" of the domestic defense industry. According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, 160 types of new and modernized weapons have been tested in Syria. Most of these samples are no longer a post-Soviet heritage, but have been developed and adopted in the past few years. Combat use has forced traditional and potential buyers to take a fresh look at Russian weapons. Experience in the successful use of weapons and military equipment in real wars has always been an important promotion tool international market, and has already led to the conclusion of additional contracts, including in the region itself.

Of the demonstrated Russian arsenal, the creation and first combat use a whole family of high-precision sea and air-based cruise missiles with satellite guidance. The strikes of small missile ships using the Caliber-NK complex at a distance of over 1000 kilometers were delivered from the Caspian and mediterranean seas. From the coast of Syria, the Caliber-PL modification fired from a submerged position diesel submarine "Rostov-on-Don".

For the first time in the history of the Russian Navy, it was able to attack ground targets hundreds of kilometers from the coast with high-precision non-nuclear weapons. It made me rethink my role. Equipped with modern cruise missiles, the fleet and the Aerospace Forces have acquired completely new possibilities for the projection of force.

Previously, the main purpose of the Long-Range Aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces was the use of nuclear weapons, which made it almost useless in local conflicts. But in Syria, she tested her new non-nuclear cruise missiles air-based Kh-555 and Kh-101. For strategic bombers Tu-95MSM and Tu-160 Syria also became their first combat use.

Thanks to the mass deliveries of military equipment to the Aerospace Forces that have been going on for several years, all deployed at the Khmeimim airbase combat aircraft either new or upgraded. Transferred to Syria fighters MiG-29K/KUB, Su-27SM, Su-30, Su-33, Su-35, bombers Su-24M2 and Su-34(pictured), Su-25SM attack aircraft. The main difference of all of them was a new generation of sighting and navigation systems. They endowed them with the ability to hit targets with increased accuracy, even with conventional unguided bombs. But the main advantage of the new technology was the possibility of using a new generation of Russian high-precision weapons. It was it that made it possible to turn the tide in the war with a very limited air group.

The most commonly used and most useful has become GLONASS satellite-corrected bomb KAB-500S. The receipt of such ammunition allowed Russian aviation reliably hit single stationary targets in all weather conditions and from high altitudes with minimal collateral damage even in populated areas.

In addition to aircraft, more than two dozen helicopters were used in the fighting. Russian transport helicopters need no introduction in this region. They have long formed the backbone of parks in Iraq and Afghanistan. But for our new attack helicopters, the fight against ISIS was the first case of their combat use. Since 2014, the Mi-28NE has been intensively used in neighboring Iraq. Since the fall of 2015, four types of attack helicopters have made their Syrian debut in the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria: Mi-28N, Mi-35M, Ka-52 and Ka-52K.

Special attention was paid to the use of new weapons in the winter battles of 2017 for Palmyra guided missiles "Vikhr-M" from Ka-52 helicopters. range and high speed approaches to the target allow the helicopter to attack, remaining unnoticed until the last moment and not entering the MANPADS coverage area. This gives army aviation a significant advantage over the most common Ataka missiles, which have a shorter range and warhead power.

If it is difficult to surprise someone with Russian-made aircraft and helicopters, then Russian drones still look exotic to most foreign observers. In just five years, the number of light tactical drones in the army has increased twenty-fold, and their characteristics have approached the best world standards. By the end of 2016, the Russian Ministry of Defense already had almost 2,000 unmanned aerial vehicles at its disposal.

Part Russian group in Syria included about 80 drones, from light " Eleron-3SV" and " Orlan-10"to the most difficult and distant -" Outpost". Their number exceeded the total number of manned aircraft and helicopters. Such a grouping radically increased the intelligence capabilities of the Russian troops.

UAVs were used to detect targets and guide aircraft, assess damage, and correct Syrian artillery fire. Russian drones were also used for more peaceful tasks, from mapping the area to escorting convoys with humanitarian supplies.

Due to the limited Russian participation in ground combat, ground equipment was presented much more modestly. The Syrian government army was supplied mainly with obsolete weapons from storage bases. Nevertheless, one cannot fail to note the first combat use T-90, which took place in this Middle Eastern country. The government army was supplied with several dozen T-90s of early modifications. They are far from new, and therefore they are not the best either in the world or even in Russia, which, in addition to the advanced Armata tank, has already developed much more advanced modifications of the T-90 itself. However, even outdated modifications performed well, showing significantly better survivability compared to all previous models of Soviet tanks that were in service with Syria.

Of the infantry weapons, guided anti-tank missiles Russian production. Their use in Syria and neighboring Iraq was massive, with thousands of units spent, from obsolete Soviet Bassoons to the most powerful Kornets in the Russian arsenal.

Lessons and problems

Any war inevitably becomes the best testing ground, sifting out unsuccessful samples and stimulating the development of the most effective weapons. The experience gained in long wars cannot be replaced by either exercises or trials. The conflict in Syria was no exception. Even according to official data, more than a dozen of the 160 tested new types of weapons were rejected (although it was not specified which ones).

The concept of using new digital sights for bombing with increased accuracy with conventional unguided bombs has shown mixed results in real conditions. It has proven its effectiveness in attacks on militant and terrorist field fortifications, areas of their concentration, and in attacks on oil infrastructure facilities that ISIS terrorists used to finance their "caliphate". At the same time, with the combat operations in populated areas typical of modern conflicts, their accuracy turned out to be insufficient. Here, the use of guided precision-guided munitions has proven to be uncontested. It allows not only to minimize collateral damage, but also to hit targets with maximum efficiency.

The old concept of using attack aircraft on a modern battlefield saturated with MANPADS was also called into question. Due to the danger of anti-aircraft fire, the Su-25SM squadron deployed to Syria was used mainly as light bombers, they were engaged in navigational bombing from high altitudes instead of traditional attack with unguided rockets and cannon fire.

It was not possible to fully “show the product face” of naval aviation during the trip to the coast of Syria by the only Russian aircraft-carrying cruiser. For whatever reason, two aircraft were lost, it could have hurt export prospects anyway. First of all, I remember India, which in 2017 announced a tender for the purchase of 57 carrier-based fighters for its Russian-built aircraft carrier, which will also include MiGs.

However, this failure did not lead to serious reputational costs. In Abu Dhabi, an agreement was signed for the joint development and production of fifth-generation light fighters based on the MiG35 with the UAE.

Serious challenges are set for tank developers. The proliferation of anti-tank guided missiles has demonstrated the high vulnerability of armored vehicles on the modern battlefield. Effective anti-tank systems in large quantities ended up in the hands of not only government armies, but also irregular formations, as well as terrorists. In the battles on the territory of Syria, Iraq, Yemen, not only the old ones showed their vulnerability to modern anti-tank weapons. soviet tanks, but also American Abrams, German Leopard and French Leclerc.

This again confirmed that modern heavy armored vehicles are unthinkable without complexes active protection. Russian military-industrial complex is one of the few with competence in active protection. But until they are equipped production tanks for our own army, we can hardly expect the export success of such systems. They were not tested in Syria either.

The very experience of using ATGMs in regional conflicts shows that it has turned from a specialized anti-tank weapon into an effective and versatile infantry weapon, its " long arm". This necessitates the development and mass purchases for all modern and advanced ATGM missiles not only with cumulative, but also with high-explosive fragmentation and thermobaric warheads.

In the context of the increased efficiency of aviation and its weapons, the proliferation of automation and battlefield informatization tools, it becomes clear that today the capabilities of aviation are limited by means of reconnaissance and target detection. After implementation a large number UAV in Russian army in this regard, there have already been significant changes for the better. But as a result of the operation, the need to saturate the troops became obvious, not only light tactical short-range drones, but also heavier reconnaissance models. A search is underway for an apparatus that will take an intermediate position between the efficient, but expensive 450-kilogram Forpost UAV and the cheap, but extremely limited payload capabilities of the 18-30-kilogram Orlan-10 and Granat-4.

There is still a need to continue building up the orbital constellation of reconnaissance satellites.

At the same time, the operation showed a critical flaw - Russia's lack of attack drones. In addition to UAVs, the US coalition in Syria is already using Israeli, Iranian and Turkish-developed mid-range attack drones, as well as improvised ultralight bomber drones from commercial components developed by ISIS terrorists.

One can hope that the Syrian experience will spur the ongoing development of domestic heavy and tactical attack drones.


Impact on exports

The macro-region of the Middle East and North Africa has for many years been the most hot spot planets. Now there are four major armed conflicts going on there at once - in Iraq, Yemen, Libya and Syria. The situation in Afghanistan threatens to get out of control. Relations between Israel and its neighbors remain traditionally tense. One way or another, most of the countries of the region, including the richest oil monarchies of the Persian Gulf, are drawn into these conflicts.

Not surprisingly, it is the leader in relative defense spending in the world. If the countries of Europe spend from 1 to 2% on their armies, then the total defense spending of the countries of the region in 2015 reached 7% of the regional GDP. A significant proportion of these expenditures are for the acquisition of weapons.

Their usual foreign suppliers found themselves in a difficult situation due to the political confusion that arose after “ Arab Spring". This led to an embargo and sanctions for a number of countries in the region. For EU an important factor began self-restrictions on the supply of lethal and offensive weapons to warring countries and regimes that violate human rights and the rules of war.

Until 2012, Russia's position in the region's market was weakening. The fall of the Gaddafi regime in Libya and the war in Syria have deprived Rosoboronexport» already signed contracts worth billions of dollars. But such restrictions on competitors and the readiness demonstrated by Russia to provide not only political but also military support to its friends in the region allowed the Russian defense industry not only to return, but also to gain new positions in the local market.

At the same time, the losing side was the United States, whose inconsistent policy led to a drop in confidence in them. Most a prime example serving Iraq. After the United States suspended the supply of weapons necessary to fight ISIS, even under contracts already signed, the country's government was forced to turn to Russia. Our country has managed to provide the Iraqi army with weapons promptly and without putting forward excessive political demands. The Apache was replaced by the Russian Mi-28NE and Mi-35M, and the delay in the supply of F-16s was compensated by the emergency sale of proven Su-25 attack aircraft.

A similar story happened with Egypt, which is one of the largest arms buyers in the region. Accustomed to completely relying on US weapons, after the events of the "Arab Spring" the country was forced to look for alternative suppliers. This gave Russia the opportunity to conclude several major contracts, including for missile defense systems.

Anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems have become the most popular commodity in the region in recent years.

Demand spurred buildup of local air force modern aircraft, the development of the Iranian missile program and the frequent attacks of the Yemeni Houthis on Saudi Arabian targets using ballistic missiles.

Russia managed to conclude contracts for the supply to Egypt of a complex capable of shooting down ballistic missiles S-300VM, and to Iran, withdrawn from sanctions - S-300PMU-2. The most modern Pantsir-S missile and artillery systems were received by Iraq, the modernized Buk-M2A air defense systems were received by Algeria.

Russian helicopters remained another popular commodity.

Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq in the 1990s and 2000s have already acquired up to 200 Mi-8s of various modifications. There is no doubt that the experience of their operation contributed to the conclusion of the largest contracts of recent years for impact models produced by Russian Helicopters. Algeria has acquired a record contract for 42 Mi-28NEs. Another 15 helicopters of this type and 28 Mi-35Ms were purchased by Iraq. These transactions were the first export contracts for the Mi-28. Immediately 46 Ka-52s were contracted by Egypt to form an air group of two Mistrals destined for Russia, which were resold to them by France.

Algeria and Egypt have also become buyers of Russian aircraft. An important contract for 50 MiG-29M/M2 fighters, valued at US$2 billion, was signed with Egypt. Algeria was the buyer of 14 Su-30MKA. In 2016, 10 modernized Su-24M2s were received by the Syrian Air Force, which is suffering heavy losses of its obsolete fighter-bombers. In 2017, plans were announced for the delivery of another Su-24 squadron.

Deliveries of both aircraft and helicopters to this warring region are accompanied by accompanying contracts for thousands of weapons for them, including expensive guided missiles.

There is also demand for heavy armored vehicles. Despite the vulnerability of existing models, tanks are still indispensable on the battlefield. Algeria bought 200 T-90CAs in 2014. A major success for the Russian defense industry was a major contract announced during the IDEX 2017 exhibition in the UAE for the supply of the latest and most protected version of the T-90MS tank to one of the Middle Eastern countries. Their recipient has not yet been named, but it may be Kuwait. If so, this would be a major return for Russian arms exports to the region's most lucrative market for the Persian Gulf monarchies.

It is not known how long the conflict in Syria will last and Russian participation in him. The outcome of this confrontation is also unclear. But it is already clear that these and smaller arms contracts marked a change in the pre-2012 trend of pushing Russian defense products out of the region. In the event of a successful outcome of the current conflict for Syria and Russia, we can expect even more significant export successes both in the Middle East and around the world.

At the same time, they should not be taken for granted. The local market is still an extremely competitive environment. All the best arms manufacturers in the world are fighting for a place on it. In addition to Russia's traditional rivals from the US and Europe, competition from the rapidly developing Chinese and Turkish military-industrial complex is becoming more and more sensitive. There is also a noticeable trend of localization of production. Saudi Arabia, the largest buyer of weapons, has already established its own production of light armored vehicles, drones, and guided weapons.

Anton LAVROV, military analyst

"Military Acceptance" continues the series of programs on the work of our military in Syria. This time the heroes of the program are helicopter pilots. They are involved in the case of search and rescue operations, they cover the nearest approaches to our Khmeimim military base from the air, they perform a lot of other tasks, risking their lives, testing themselves and their military equipment.To whom and how the sky of this distant eastern country submits today, the blades of which helicopters cut layers of hot Syrian air and how Russian helicopter officers live and serve in these difficult conditions, he will tell Help comes from the sky The best pilots, navigators, flight technicians in Russia, many of whom have repeatedly participated in the air part of the parade on Red Square in Moscow, today here in Syria are performing real combat missions. Thus, a group of search and rescue parachute service of the Khmeimim airbase is ready to fly to the aid of our pilots who are in trouble in the region at any moment. The count goes not for minutes - for seconds: the crew of the search and rescue service is the first to rush to the board of the helicopter, followed by rescuers, a doctor, and personnel of the fire cover group. The helicopter, which is to fly into a dangerous area, is protected like a flying fortress: the pilot-navigator and the crew commander have armor on the blisters, and armor plates behind their backs. In addition, the crew is flying in body armor, and everyone in the car, including doctors, is armed.
In the case of the rescue of the crew of Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov, exactly the same helicopter flew to the area where the alarm came from. At that moment, no one knew that in the area where our pilots were to be searched, the terrorists would ambush ... Now it is clear why the group flies out to search, fully equipped and armed.
In Syria, all rotorcraft flights take place on minimum height. This is necessary in order not to fall under the fire of enemy MANPADS. By the way, in our helicopters there is a function that, by turning it on below the entered mark, the machine will not go down. Our helicopter pilots are also fighting in Syria at extremely low altitudes. In one of the settlements, the Syrian government forces could not drive out the terrorists, after which they requested air support. Attack Mi-24s from the Russian group came close to the ground and fired missiles. The storming of the village was a decided matter.
Combat "carousel"- It can soar up almost vertically, then turn around, hover and fall down like lightning. The work of the pilots is jewelry: at the bottom of this "carousel" the helicopter flies at a height of five meters at a speed of 200 km/h. The virtuoso work of the pilots is manifested not only in the mastery of aerobatics. For example, in Syria, without any training, you need to fly at night for more than an hour through unknown territory and be at the target with an accuracy of five seconds. As the aviators themselves note, such accuracy is necessary for the coordination of actions with the ground part of the operation: a delay can result in human casualties.
Another one important task helicopter pilots in Syria - escort. It is attack helicopters that provide protection for Russian military transport aircraft using the Khmeimim airfield. Layered defense: at low altitudes, helicopters are responsible for it, at high altitudes, Su-30SM and Su-35 fighters. According to the navigator of the Mi-28N helicopter, in the air they are at a distance of about 50-200 m from the escorted side of the VTA, covering it on the glide path during landing or takeoff. The task is to identify the source of the fire impact in order to localize and destroy it.
On earth, in heaven, at sea Another thing is rescue at sea. In the equipment of pilots, in addition to the mandatory in combat conditions small arms, Inflatable Boat enters. It provides the pilot in trouble with the opportunity to be on the surface of the water. Noticing a rescue helicopter, the pilot lights a smoke bomb of orange smoke. For the crew of the rescue helicopter, the main thing is to notice this signal, but the most difficult thing is to keep the car in place while lifting the victim. According to Alexander, the commander of the helicopter squadron of the combined air regiment of the Khmeimim airbase, the sea surface does not allow "grabbing a look", there are no "binding" landmarks here. The direction is maintained according to the course system, the height - according to the radio altimeter. The navigator and flight engineer at this moment act as gunners.
It is worth noting that exercises for air rescuers are carried out systematically in Syria. In addition, all helicopter pilots, before entering the combat area, undergo a special training course at the 344th Army Aviation Combat Training and Retraining Center in Torzhok. According to the head of the center, Colonel Andrey Popov, the results of the work in Syria revealed new techniques, new tactical moves. All this is brought to the flight crew during training events. Among such new tactics, the officer notes, is the use of weapons against ground targets with access to targets on the move.
After all, the Mi-28 helicopter can both independently search for a target, and aim at it by an aircraft gunner. " Night Hunter”(as the Mi-28N is also called) in Syria they are often used at night. The takeoff is made in the blackout mode, the pilot works with a night vision device. Rescue operations can also be carried out at night. True, only on earth. At sea - only during the day. The reason is the same - it is difficult for the pilot to navigate over the sea surface. As for the rescue technology, it has been worked out to the smallest detail. A rescuer descends from the helicopter, hooks a person in trouble by a harness. After all, a pilot who has crashed may be injured or even be unconscious. After a couple of seconds, both - both the rescuer and the pilot he saved - are in the air, and then on board the helicopter.

Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces Vladimir Putin announced the end of the military operation in Syria. Pilots, sappers, doctors, representatives of other types and branches of the military returned to their places of permanent deployment, to their relatives and friends. What are the results of the participation of our Armed Forces, primarily the Aerospace Forces, in the destruction of bandit formations over the past two years since the start of the operation in the SAR? How did our aviation equipment show itself in combat conditions?

Recall that the fulfillment of international duty by the Russian military in the Syrian Arab Republic was carried out at the request of President Bashar al-Assad. A few hours after the Federation Council of the Russian Federation unanimously supported Vladimir Putin's appeal on the use of the Armed Forces in Syria, the Aerospace Forces launched the first missile and bomb strikes on the ground infrastructure of the terrorist "Islamic State" (banned in Russia).

The grouping of our aviation at that time was more than 50 aircraft. it frontline bombers Su-24M2 - deeply modernized vehicles, which are equipped with modern navigation and aiming aids, allowing for accurate strikes, Su-34 - new multifunctional front-line bombers with modern on-board sighting and navigation systems and weapons, Su-25SM attack aircraft with armored protection for the pilot and engine who worthily passed Afghanistan. As well as Su-30SM multifunctional fighters, Mi-24P and Mi-35M attack helicopters, Mi-8AMTSh transport and attack helicopters, Mi-17 transports, reconnaissance aircraft. All of these machines are extremely reliable, have good interoperability and are designed for optimum ease of operation.

The Russian aviation group was stationed at the Khmeimim base ( international Airport Syria them. Basil al-Assad), which was guarded by a battalion tactical group of marines of the Black Sea Fleet with reinforcements and special forces. Sea cover was provided by Navy ships led by the Moskva missile cruiser. Mi-24 combat helicopters patrolled the near perimeter at low and extremely low altitudes. The base is still well protected by the system after the withdrawal of the main grouping. air defense and ground troops.

The main targets of the strikes were the combat positions of the terrorists, command posts, factories and workshops, large warehouses of military equipment, ammunition, fuel and lubricants, special clothing property and food, hidden bases that were previously mothballed or carefully camouflaged, transshipment and strongholds, launchers with communication centers, caravans with weapons and ammunition, training camps, bridges and other facilities.

For experts, of course, the question is natural: how do the combat missions performed by the aircrew in Syria differ from those that were in the Afghan campaign? The short answer is: practically nothing. Although any regional campaign always has its own characteristics and novelty. The Afghan, despite numerous miscalculations and mistakes, has become perhaps the most successful and effective for the domestic Air Force in the post-war thirty years. Aviators of Su-25 attack aircraft flew as much as no other combatant pilots in the world have flown. In the fighting with the Mujahideen, she successfully noted and long-range aviation, which performed specific combat missions, for example, to destroy the lapis lazuli deposit of Ahmad Shah Massoud in the Jarm region, and a number of others.

In Syria, the intensity of sorties was much higher. In particular, in just one of the last months of being in the SAR, during the operation to defeat the IS group in the Deir ez-Zor region, more than 1,600 sorties were made, over two thousand targets were hit. Dozens of warehouses with ammunition and military equipment, weapons, food and special clothing have been destroyed. Such intensity of aviation work was caused by the growth of confirmed intelligence data on infrastructure facilities, the offensive of terrorist groups in certain areas of the theater of operations, the need to reduce the combat potential and undermine the material and technical base of the militants, to disorganize their control system.

For example, in the provinces of Idlib, Homs, Hama, Aleppo, Damascus, Latakia, the Russian Aerospace Forces made 71 sorties during the day and attacked 118 targets. Near locality Salma in the province of Latakia was destroyed by the command post and a large ammunition depot. Attacks were also made on hidden militant bases that had previously been mothballed or carefully disguised, transit and strongholds, command posts. On the outskirts of the village of Misraba in the province of Damascus, a control center with a communication center of the Jaish al-Islam terrorist group was destroyed, due to which the control system of the militants was disrupted.

We emphasize: initially, about 20 sorties per day were made, but gradually their number increased. During the operation, tactics also changed. Our pilots switched to working alone, attacking several targets per sortie. The methodology of their combat work was based on space and air reconnaissance data, and only after clarifying all the information received from the headquarters Syrian army. As a rule, they attacked from a height of more than five thousand meters in order to avoid being hit by man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems of the Stinger type. The onboard sighting and navigation equipment of the aircraft made it possible to ensure that terrorists hit any ground targets with high accuracy.

Along with the Russian pilots carried out direct support for the advancing Syrian troops, inflicting combat strikes on their requests, prevented the supply terrorist groups and replenishment of their parts by people. As a result, the number of targets that need to be hit increased sharply, as did the consumption of ammunition. If earlier Russian aircraft they took two - four high-precision ammunition or four - six conventional ones, then by the end of the operation they went on combat missions with multi-lock holders, which made it possible to carry clusters of bombs.

The suicide bombers didn't help.

Each flight was preceded by careful preparation. Materials of objective control, UAV intelligence, space reconnaissance images, information from the ground intelligence services of Syria and Russia were studied. Bombs used on front-line bomber and attack aircraft free fall and guided weapons made it possible not to enter the zone of destruction of MANPADS of IS militants, and therefore, to be in a safe combat zone.

On November 17, 2015, for the first time, Russia involved in the Syrian operation strategic missile carriers Tu-160, Tu-95 MS, as well as 12 Tu-22M3 long-range bombers. Tu-160 and Tu-95MS fired more than 30 missiles in total at ISIS positions in the provinces of Homs, Aleppo and Raqqa. As a result, 14 facilities were destroyed, including a training camp for IS fighters, a plant for the production of weapons and armored vehicles. The planes worked in groups: one strikes, the other covers it. For the first time, 12 long-range Tu-22M3 and Tu-22M3M bombers conducted a massive bombardment of military infrastructure. The strike was carried out in groups of two Tu-22M3 aircraft using 12 OFAB-250-270 each. As a result, terrorist bases and camps in the provinces of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor were destroyed.

All this suggests that the main contribution to the implementation of the operational plan to defeat the ISIS was provided by the strike aircraft of the Aerospace Forces, which carried out hundreds of sorties and inflicted thousands of missile and bomb strikes. Unmanned aircraft constantly provided the necessary intelligence information to the advancing forces of the Syrian and Russian troops. attack helicopters Ka-52, Mi-28N, Mi-35M, covering the advancing troops, did the main job of "weeding" the ISIS units from tanks, armored vehicles and pickups, carts, thereby depriving them of firepower and mobility. The Su-34 and Su-24M destroyed armored vehicles, enemy columns, fortified areas and command posts, areas of concentration of bandit formations. The Su-35S, Su-30SM, Su-27SM3 fighters prevented “erroneous strikes” from the “partners” from the American coalition who were worried about the black bearded men, covered our strike aircraft, and performed other tasks.

An important role was played by the provision of the Russian grouping with reliable, high-performance, integrated, multi-level air defense systems of the Aerospace Forces, operating in close adhesion with modern means reconnaissance, including from UAVs of various types. The deployment of the second Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile battalion was completed near the Syrian city of Masyaf in the province of Hama, along with the Pantsir-S missile and gun system. The position of the S-400 air defense system was located on the coastal mountain range and made it possible, on the one hand, to provide a significant overview of the division’s radar, and on the other hand, to compensate for the “shadowing” of the radar field near Khmeimim due to the mountain range.

In general, the aviation group of the Aerospace Forces completely fettered the active fighting ISIS, reliably covered the advancing Syrian and Russian troops.

Engineering departments have done a serious job. For example, the crossing to the eastern bank of the Euphrates was built with the help of the Russian military. To this end, military transport aviation deployed equipment of the new PP-2005 pontoon fleet and PMM-2M self-propelled ferry-bridge vehicles to Syria, allowing them to quickly cross the river. A bridge with a capacity of 8,000 cars per day was built within two days.

Immediately after the air strike was carried out by military aviation of the Aerospace Forces, the Syrian army, with the support of Russian special forces and aerospace forces, crossed a water barrier near Deir ez-Zor. The advanced units entrenched themselves on the eastern bank of the river. This truly historic event will certainly be included in the textbooks of military art.

In an effort to stop the offensive of the Syrian army near Deir ez-Zor and violating the truce in the province of Hama, hundreds of well-trained Inghimasi (from Arabic. Bursting) - the special special forces of the Islamists, their special operations forces - were thrown into the offensive with the support of ISIS armored vehicles. Each such terrorist wears a suicide belt, although they undermine themselves only in the event of a completely hopeless situation. And the real martyrs are allowed to go ahead. The task of the ingimasi is to win or fall in battle. But nothing helped. As a result, dozens of corpses of militants, burnt and captured armored vehicles. And this is despite the fact that the jihadists used instructors from the United States, American military equipment, and secret communications of special services to prepare the operation.

In parallel with the fulfillment of their international duty, Russian “defensemen” and pilots tested the latest weapons in combat work at IS facilities, including those after modernization and modifications. The need for this arose after the actual use of samples in a non-traditional theater for us. From the point of view of inflicting maximum damage on the ISIS and the so-called opposition, the use of our cruise missiles (CR) in Syria, both air and sea, ground-based, was completely justified.

The latest ultra-long-range ALCM Kh-101 (nuclear version-X-102) was actively used in Syria in 2015-2016. In the course of several series, 48 ​​such CDs were produced. Their main carrier at that time was the Tu-160. Tu-95s also joined later.

One Tu-95 strategic bomber can carry up to eight Kh-101s on an external sling. Into his inner revolver launcher up to six of these cruise missiles can be placed. On July 5, 2017, two Tu-95MSMs, accompanied by a flight of Su-30SM multipurpose fighters with a full combat set of air-to-air missiles, fired five Kh-101 missiles and hit four ISIS targets.

This experience is invaluable. Even intensive combat training, replete with exercises and maneuvers, will never replace real participation in local conflicts or limited military operations.

Prevented Damage

It is not only a matter of purely military experience, which is a consequence of the current international situation and most closely echoes it. As the classic said, war is the continuation of politics by other, violent means. That's why important aspect the Syrian campaign is against whom it was waged originally and continues today.

If the country, on the side of the legitimate government of which Russia is fighting, came under the control of Sunni radicals (this is by no means only the "Islamic Caliphate", but almost all "fighters against the tyranny of Assad"), it would instantly turn into an unparalleled modern history a source of terrorism incomparably more dangerous than Afghanistan under the Taliban. For Sunni radicals, external expansion is not just the basis of an ideology, but a way of existence. And Russia would become one of the most important targets, and immediately. If Moscow had not started the Syrian operation two years ago, we would already be fighting on our territory or in the so-called soft underbelly of Russia. That is, in fact, the campaign ultimately brought the country a high income in the form of averted damage.

The capture of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor - the end of the Sunni military resistance in Syria in the IS format does not mean that it ceased to exist there. The caliphate is viable in the presence of a number of factors. The main one is the control of the territories where this organization can form governing bodies, create a tax system and a power apparatus, which is a guarantee of security for local Sunnis. The essence is to provide them with an optimal model of socio-economic autonomy and a state structure based on Sharia in its original form, as opposed to the semi-secular monarchies and pseudo-republics existing in the Arab world, whose regimes are corrupt and unable to provide youth with social elevators.

The main difference between ISIS and al-Qaeda is that from the very beginning it strove for a self-sufficient system of financing through the formation of a quasi-state with control over the main sources of income: oil and water resources, irrigation facilities, land and river routes. Al-Qaeda, as you know, has always lived off financial tranches from the countries of the Arabian Peninsula.

ISIS is a purely nationalist formation that uses, but does not practice, the ideology of building a world caliphate to recruit manpower abroad, without which it cannot exist in large areas. Between 60 and 70 percent of IS and Jabhat al-Nusra personnel were foreigners.

One target - one bomb

The Russian air group created in Syria, consisting only of modern and modernized models of equipment equipped with advanced weapons and sighting and navigation systems, made it possible to deliver high-precision strikes against bandit formations throughout the SAR without entering the enemy’s MANPADS zone. The widespread use of reconnaissance and strike systems based on reconnaissance, control and communications complexes made it possible to implement the principle "One target - one missile (bomb)".

The superiority of the Russian grouping in reconnaissance, electronic warfare, integrated command and control systems and destruction ensured non-contact defeat of the enemy with minimal risk to our troops and forces.

A comparative analysis of the results of the actions of Russian pilots and aviation of the international coalition in Syria shows that, having many times fewer aircraft, the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out three times more sorties and inflicted four times more missile and bomb strikes.

The most expressive indicator for evaluating the effectiveness of the work of military pilots is the ratio of the number of sorties to the number of combat losses incurred in this case. Purely statistically, losses in any combat use of troops are inevitable. But if we consider what happened in this sense with the Russian aviation group in Syria, then during the operation, according to official data, more than 28,000 sorties and about 99,000 strikes against militants were carried out. The losses amounted to three aircraft (Su-24, shot down by a Turkish F-16, crashed Su-33K and MiG-29K of the air wing of the cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov"), five helicopters.

For comparison: in the nine years of hostilities in Afghanistan Soviet aviation almost a million sorties were completed, 107 aircraft and 324 helicopters were lost. In other words, with a rough rounding for every 100,000 sorties, we lost 10 aircraft and 30 helicopters. If the same proportion had been maintained in the aviation group of the Aerospace Forces in Syria, aviation losses would have been two or three aircraft and about 10 helicopters.

According to Colonel-General Viktor Bondarev, then Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, well-trained Russian pilots "never missed, never once hit schools, hospitals, mosques." In many ways, also because the air operation plan was carefully thought out and developed taking into account clear interaction with the Syrian military leadership. In addition, we, we repeat, managed to restore order in the airspace of Syria thanks to the transfer of the S-400 to the country.

Russia won a convincing victory over thousands of terrorist formations, which two years ago controlled about 80 percent of the territory of the SAR. And thus, it preserved its sovereignty and integrity, averted the blow of black evil spirits from its territory, declared itself as a powerful geostrategic player, whose national interests cannot be ignored.

Russian Mi-28 near Palmyra

The Syrian experience in the use of military helicopters made it possible to find and work out new tactics to overcome air defense systems, said the head of combat training of the army aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Major General Oleg Chesnokov.

“The features of the use of army aviation in any local conflict, including now in Syria, are carefully analyzed. Strong and weak sides both in the training of flight crews and in operation aviation technology- depending on the geography of the tasks and the characteristics of the situation. New tactics have been found and worked out to overcome enemy air defense systems and solve fire missions,” he said.

Chesnokov added that on the basis of this analysis, recommendations are being developed at the Center for the Combat Use of Army Aviation in Torzhok, which are sent to the troops and "taken into account in the course of further combat planned training," RIA Novosti reports.

In addition, he said that the latest modification of the Mi-28UB "Night Hunter" helicopters will begin to enter the Russian troops in 2017.

“Currently, prototypes of the Mi-28UB dual-control helicopter with positive results passed state tests,” Chesnokov said.

He explained that first the Mi-28UB will go to the 344th Center for Combat Use and Retraining of Army Aviation Flight Personnel in Torzhok, and then they will go to the front-line aviation units of the Aerospace Forces.

“The experience of operating Mi-28N helicopters has shown the need to produce this type of helicopters with dual control, and now the pilots and teachers of the Torzhok Center have already been retrained for this modification,” the major general added. The Mi-28N "Night Hunter" (export version - Mi-28NE) is an attack helicopter designed to search for and destroy tanks, armored and unarmored vehicles, as well as enemy infantry on the battlefield and low-speed air targets.

Chesnokov also said that Russian Helicopters had created a flying laboratory - a demonstrator of a promising high-speed helicopter. The main thing in the design of the PSV flying laboratory is the main rotor blades. New constructive solutions during their creation allow to increase the maximum speed of the Mi-28 helicopter by 13%, for Mi-35 helicopters - by 30%.

Flight tests are currently underway, in which an intermediate result has been obtained - “a level flight speed of 360 km / h has been achieved in combination with low level vibrations and loads on the structure of the flying laboratory,” Chesnokov noted.

"The speed of PSV compared to known models of attack helicopters will be increased by 1.5 times to 400-500 km/h," he recalled.

More than 50 new helicopters, including the Ka-52 "Alligator", Mi-28N "Night Hunter", Mi-35, Mi-8AMTSh "Terminator", Mi-26, Ansat-U, came from manufacturing plants in the part of army aviation for the first three quarters of this year. More than 10 units of equipment will be delivered before the end of the year, TASS reports.

“All the activities planned for the year, including the exercises of army aviation units at various levels, aviation support for inter-service exercises, participation in international exercises and army games, mastering the latest incoming aircraft models, improving flight skills by personnel, training young pilots, were completed with very good results,” he said.

Last week, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the operation in Syria revealed a number of design and production shortcomings of the Russian military equipment.

In mid-July, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General of the Army Valery Gerasimov, instructed to eliminate the shortcomings of Russian military equipment and weapons that were identified during the operation in Syria by the end of the year.

On April 14, during a direct line, Putin admitted that during the operation of the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria, many shortcomings were revealed in domestic military equipment, but in general it showed itself brilliantly, which is why demand for Russian weapons abroad has sharply increased.

On May 11, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the main problem identified in the Russian Armed Forces during the operation in Syria was the operation of equipment, this experience is being analyzed for its further improvement.

On May 12, Andrei Shibitov, Deputy General Director of Russian Helicopters for Production and Innovation, reported that the holding was agreeing with the Ministry of Defense on a program for the modernization of combat helicopters based on the experience of their operation in Syria.

During the military operation in Syria, the Russian Armed Forces tested many of the latest Russian weapons and equipment in combat. At the same time, for the first time, vehicles that had been in service for more than a dozen years were used in combat for the first time. However, first things first.

Strategic missile carrier Tu-160 "White Swan" with Kh-101 missiles

Tu-160 "White Swan" supersonic strategic missile-carrying bombers, which are called Blackjack in the West, began to operate as early as 1987. However, the first combat use of "swans" took place in Syria in 2015.

Now Russia has 16 such aircraft, but soon up to 50 modernized aircraft should enter service.

The formidable missile carrier, which is considered a means of nuclear deterrence, destroyed terrorists with conventional ammunition - KAB-500 aerial bombs and Kh-101 cruise missiles.

The latter should be mentioned separately, since they were also used for the first time in Syria. These are new-generation cruise missiles with a fantastic flight range of 5,500 kilometers, several times more than their European and American counterparts. The rocket is oriented in space using a combined navigation system: inertial plus GLONASS. The X-101 flies in the altitude range from 30 meters to 10 kilometers, is invisible to radars and is very accurate - the maximum deviation from the target at the maximum range does not exceed five meters. Unlike its predecessors, the missile can also destroy moving targets. The mass of the high-explosive fragmentation warhead Kh-101 is 400 kilograms. The nuclear version of the missile, the Kh-102, carries a 250 kiloton warhead.

According to a number of experts, using in Syria strategic aviation, Russia tested a new strategy, revolutionizing military affairs.

Small missile ships of the Buyan-M project with Caliber missiles

Project 21631 Buyan-M small missile ships are multi-purpose ships of the river-sea class. Their weapons include artillery mount A-190, machine gun mounts of 14.5 and 7.62 mm calibers, as well as the Duet anti-aircraft artillery system, and Caliber-NK and Onyx anti-ship cruise missiles. Autonomous navigation of such a ship can last up to ten days.

During the war in Syria, the Caliber cruise missiles managed not only to go through a baptism of fire, but also to acquire the status of world famous. Hits of these missiles on targets, filmed by drones, as well as videos of their launches have become one of the hallmarks of the Russian Navy.

Unlike foreign competitors, "Caliber" can fly in a wide range of speeds from subsonic to three times the speed of sound. Guidance on the final section of the trajectory is carried out using noise-protected active radar heads homing.

Missiles are capable of overcoming any anti-aircraft and missile defense. The flight takes place at an altitude of 50 to 150 meters, and when approaching the target, the missile drops to twenty meters and strikes, which cannot be prevented. The flight of missiles is carried out along a complex trajectory with a change in altitude and direction of movement. This gives her the opportunity to approach the target from any direction unexpected for the enemy.

As for the accuracy of the hit, the expression "hit the bull's eye" is appropriate here. For example, the export version of the "Caliber" shoots at 300 kilometers and destroys a target with a diameter of 1-2 meters. It is clear that the missiles used by the Russian Navy have even higher accuracy characteristics.

In Syria, Caliber launches were carried out from small missile ships Uglich, Grad Sviyazhsk, Veliky Ustyug, Zeleny Dol and Serpukhov (as well as from other types of ships and submarines).

The Russian winged "Caliber" has already become a headache for the United States - after all, in the anti-ship version they are more effective than the American "Tomahawks", and their deployment on small displacement ships creates many difficulties for potential adversaries.

Guided projectiles "Krasnopol"

In Syria, for the first time, Russian guided missiles were used to eliminate terrorists. artillery shells Krasnopol. The firing range of modern modifications of the Krasnopol is 30 kilometers. The mass of explosive in this type of ammunition ranges from 6.5 to 11 kilograms.

One of the main features of the machine is its high maneuverability. In addition, the "Night Hunter" can perform combat missions at any time of the day.

The armored cockpit of the helicopter protects the crew from 20-mm projectiles and armor-piercing bullets. The armor also protects the most important systems of the helicopter. The Mi-28N is equipped with a radar located above the propeller hub. The use of this complex allows you to effectively search, detect, recognize and defeat ground and air targets. The helicopter is armed with a 30 mm automatic cannon. It can also carry guided (anti-tank) or unguided (against infantry and light vehicles) air-to-ground missiles. The possibility of installing air-to-air missiles is also provided, which allows the Mi-28UB to destroy not only airplanes and helicopters, but also small-sized drones and even cruise missiles. The helicopter has four suspension points and, among other things, can be used to lay minefields.

Two such helicopters were on board the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier during the Syrian campaign. There, the Ka-52K took to the air and carried out test launches of missiles.

Ka-52K "Katran" is a shipborne version of the Ka-52 "Alligator" and is designed for patrolling, fire support for landing troops on the coast, anti-amphibious defense tasks at the forefront and in tactical depth at any time of the day.

The ship's "Katran" differs from the basic version by the presence of a shortened folding wing, which was modified to accommodate heavy weapons, and a blade folding mechanism, which allows it to be compactly located in the hold.

Nevertheless, despite the "miniature dimensions", the Ka-52K has formidable weapons. These are torpedoes, depth charges and cruise anti-ship missiles.

The helicopter is equipped with a laser-beam weapon guidance system and the Okhotnik video image processing system. Optoelectronic complex "Vitebsk" protects "Katran" from missiles with infrared homing heads.

Tank T-90

However, the Tu-160, Mi-28N and Admiral Kuznetsov are not the only well-known "oldies" first seen in combat in Syria.

For the first time, T-90s were used by Syrian troops in the province of Aleppo in 2016.

In addition, for the first time in Syria, they tested the T-90 secret weapon - the Shtora-1 optoelectronic suppression system, designed just to protect the tank from ATGMs.

Syrian tankers highly appreciated the capabilities of the T-90. They called its only drawback the lack of air conditioning, which makes it difficult to fight in the desert.

Recently it became known that the tank was modernized taking into account the Syrian experience.

Armored cars "Typhoon"

The new Russian Typhoon armored vehicles were also tested in Syria for the first time. In early 2017, a Typhoon-K armored vehicle was spotted there.

K63968 "Typhoon-K" is a cabover multifunctional modular vehicle. In the modification for the transport of personnel can accommodate up to 16 people. The landing of troops can be carried out both with the help of a ramp and through the door. The cab of the car is protected by reinforced armor. It also provides for the installation of a bulletproof shield on the windshield.

The new armored car is not afraid of even some types of RPGs. From these "tank killers" the car is saved by special attachments that reliably protect the crew from cumulative jets. Typhoon wheels are bulletproof and equipped with special anti-explosion inserts.

The mass of the fully equipped Typhoon is 24 tons, the length of the hull is 8990 millimeters, and the width is 2550 millimeters. 450 horsepower of the engine allows the armored car to move at a speed of 110 kilometers per hour.

The machine is built on a 6x6 wheel formula, which allows it to easily overcome impassability, snow drifts and any other types of obstacles. In Syria, Typhoons are used not only to transport personnel, but also, for example, to deliver humanitarian aid.