Syria's Readiness for Attack: A brief look

While Syria has been upgrading its aging defense system in recent years, it will be severely tested if a barrage of American-made missiles are fired at the country.

Russia's Interfax news agency quoted a confident, if unnamed, "military diplomatic source" on Tuesday who predicted "no easy victory" if "the U.S. Army together with NATO launches an operation against Syria. Buk-M2E multirole air and missile complexes and other air defense systems are capable of making a fitting reply to aggressors."

Estimates by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Jane's and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) of Assad's pre-war defense capabilities included 365 to 550 combat aircraft (50% of which CSIS estimates may be left now with questions about pilot capability); 25 air defense brigades with some 120 to 150 surface-to-air missile batteries (most aging or obsolete); and an array of more modern short-range surface-to-air weapons, including thousands of shoulder-launched MANPADS.

Syria has purchased a highly advanced S-300 system from Russia, which can intercept targets at a much longer range and higher altitude than anything currently in Syria's arsenal. But it hasn't been delivered yet, and even if it arrived tomorrow, it would take months to set up and properly train Syrians to use. One of the Syrian military's most potent assets are its Bastion coastal defense missiles, which Assad bought from Russia in the last few years. They could strike ships in the Mediterranean and would effectively push back the distances from which foreign ships would launch missiles used in any attack. Part of the system are Yakhont anti-ship missiles, which were reportedly Israel's target when it bombed a Syrian depot in July.

Tel Aviv gets missile defense

Israel deployed its Iron Dome missile defense system in Tel Aviv on Friday, as the United States weighed military strikes on neighboring Syria, local media said.

News website Ynet said that unlike last November when the interceptor missiles brought down rockets fired from Gaza, to the south, this time they were pointing north, toward Syria. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said Israel had deployed its Iron Dome system to meet its current security needs.

He did not specify where, but media reported earlier in the week that the military was moving two of its short-range Iron Dome batteries and one battery of the mid-range Patriot missile to northern Israel. “We have decided to deploy Iron Dome and other interceptors,” Netanyahu said Thursday night in a statement as he went into security talks at the defense ministry in Tel Aviv.

Moscow to deploy S-500

Russia’s Defense Ministry plans to deploy in 2017 a sophisticated new air missile defense system that can hit targets in space, a senior ministry source told Russian news agencies yesterday.

“The promising S-500 air defense missile system is at the development stage. It’s planned to be deployed in 2017,” the source was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. Russia is developing more and more effective missile defense systems for use as a deterrent while continuing to oppose plans by the United States to build a missile defense shield in Europe.

Russia says its most advanced anti-aircraft and anti-missile system currently in use, the S-400 Triumph, has a range of 400 kilometers. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last year that Russia’s armed forces would acquire around 28 S-400s over the following decade. Russia has declined to cancel hugely controversial contracts to supply Syria with four of its powerful S-300 air defense missile systems, a deal that has sparked international concern. Putin in June praised the S-300s as the best such systems in the world and said Russia had not yet delivered the systems to Syria to avoid changing the balance of power in the region.

BGM-109 Tomahawk: A brief look

Whatever course of action President Obama and allies decide on in Syria, you can bet the attack will begin with salvos of BGM-109 cruise missiles.

The BGM-109, known commonly as the Tomahawk, has been used in each of America's official conflicts in the last 22 years. Using wings and a flight system, Tomahawk can carry a heavy warhead at subsonic speeds over a significant distance.

Originally developed by General Dynamics in the 70s, the 3,500 lb. 20 foot long Tomahawk missile is now manufactured by Raytheon, a large U.S. defense contractor. The missile's modular system allows it to carry a conventional or nuclear payload if needed. When launched, the missile flies low at close to 550 mph, with current versions allowing an operator to control the missile's speed on target. All U.S. Navy destroyers, cruisers, and attack submarines are equipped with the Tomahawk weapons system.

Tomahawks come in four varieties:

The Block II TLAM-A: a nuclear version

The Block III TLAM-C: conventional version

The Block III TLAM-D: cluster bomb version

The Block IV TLAM-E: called the Tactical Tomahawk, it can hover over it's target for hours and change directions long after it's been fired. 

Technical Specifications

Contractor: Raytheon Missile Systems Company, Tucson, AZ

Unit Cost:

• $600,000 for older Tomahawks
• $1.45 million for Tactical Tomahawks

Length: 20.3 feet 
Diameter: 21 inches 
Wingspan: 8 feet 9 inches 
Weight: 3,330 pounds
Speed: Subsonic (meaning slower than the speed of sound.)

Range:

• Block II TLAM-A - 1350 nautical miles (2.500 Km)
• Block III TLAM-C - 900 nautical miles (1.667 Km)
• Block III TLAM-D - 700 nautical miles (1.300 Km)
• Block IV TLAM-E - 900 nautical miles (1.667 Km)

Warhead:

Block II TLAM-N: W80 nuclear warhead
Block III TLAM-C: 1.000 pounds (453 Kg) warhead
Block III TLAM-D: conventional submunitions dispenser with combined effect bomblets.

Block IV TLAM-E: 1.000 pounds (453 Kg) warhead

SAS hunting Syrian missiles

British special forces were last night hunting Syrian missiles in readiness for Allied strikes which could start as early as tomorrow night.

Cruise missile attacks and RAF raids are expected in response to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons. A military source said: “It is vital they find every missile site that could threaten British ships or RAF jets and they will probably be taken out by missiles fired from offshore. The risk of capture to these special forces units is off the scale and nobody can be trusted in Syria.”

The British hunt for missiles and chemical weapons – which includes the SAS, Special Boat Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and MI6 spies – is one of the most hazardous in modern times as they are up against Assad’s forces as well as some rebel elements. At the top of the hit list are the President’s sophisticated long-range mobile missile batteries – some of which could be used against jets.

The Navy will spearhead any UK operation against Assad, followed by the RAF, both working with US and French forces, but regular troops will not be sent in. It is thought nuclear submarine HMS Tireless has been repositioned in the Mediterranean in readiness to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles against Assad’s military.

Israel deploys full missile defenses

Israel is deploying all of its missile defenses as a precaution against possible Syrian retaliatory attacks should Western powers carry out threatened strikes on Syria, Israeli Army Radio said today.

No special troop movements or exercises have been ordered (apart of a small-scale mobilisation of reservists) but additional Iron Dome and Patriot missile defense batteries were deployed Wednesday in Israeli areas near the Syrian border, Israeli defense officials said.

The missile defenses include:

• Against long range missiles: Arrow-II
• Against medium range missiles: Patriot
• Against short range missiles: Iron Dome

Israel says the Iron Dome system shot down one of the four rockets launched from Lebanon into northern Israel last week, and intercepted a rocket fired toward the Red Sea resort town of Eilat earlier this month. The Iron Dome system has also intercepted rockets launched from the Gaza Strip.

Syrian conflict would set Israel on fire

A military strike by the United States and its Western allies on Syria would likely trigger a swift intervention against Israel. A senior Syrian army source told Iran’s Fars News Agency on Tuesday that a full-scale US attack on Syria "would justify an attack on the Jewish state", expanding the battle and sparking a regional war. It is not impossible: Russia have already promised to send Syria S-300 long-range anti-aircraft missiles that have a range of almost 100 miles and would reach deep inside Israel. Also, Russia could have sent Assad their supersonic P800 long-range anti-ship missiles, capable of sinking israeli ships with a single strike. U.S. officials reported that Israel attempted to destroy such missiles in Latakia during a July 5 air strike, though it is unclear if the strike was successful. 

The statements of the Syrian Army are clear: “If Damascus comes under attack, Tel Aviv will be targeted too and a full-scale war against Syria will actually issue a license for attacking Israel. If Syria is attacked, Israel will also be set on fire and such an attack will, in turn, engage Syria’s neighbors. Thus, a US attack on Syria will herald frequent strikes and attacks on Israel, not just by Damascus and its allies in retaliation, but by extremist groups.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Abbas Araqchi, added fuel to the fire in a press conference on Tuesday after meeting with UN deputy chief for political affairs Jeffrey Feltman in Tehran over the last two days: “Any use of military means will have dire consequences not only for Syria, but for the entire region”.

Indian sub tragedy blamed on mishandling of Russian-made missiles

The recent disastrous submarine explosion in India which killed 18 Indian sailors was caused by Russian-made Klub missiles inside the vessel, according to the Indian newspaper Mumbai Mirror, citing sources from the Indian Navy.

According to the report, the crew placed the Klub anti-ship and anti-submarine missiles into two designated chambers, each containing missiles. While the first chamber was successfully loaded, two missiles in the second missile chamber were misplaced, causing an electric short circuit that triggered the accidental launch of one missile which hit the bulkhead and exploded.

British flotilla steaming to Syrian waters

The Royal Navy (RN) has a Naval Rapid Reaction Force stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean centered around the helicopter carrier HMS Illustrious along with two frigates and a yet to be identified nuclear-powered Trafalgar class submarine.

The RN's Trafalgar subs have the Raytheon Tomahawk Block IV land-attack cruise missiles as standard weaponry. The US Navy's 6th Fleet headquartered in Naples, Italy, has already stationed four Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers off the coast of Syria. Each destroyer has the capability of unleashing a maximum of 100 cruise missiles each against any given target. 

Syria: Tomahawk missiles lined up

The Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile, fired safely from a warship or submarine far away from the target, seems to be the best option to reduce the risk of “collateral damage”.

All the signs are that Chuck Hagel, US Defence Secretary, has put the Tomahawk at the top of his list of options for Mr. Obama. He has lined up four guided-missile destroyers, armed with Tomahawks, in the Mediterranean, with instructions to the warship commanders to be on the alert for an order from the White House.

Britain will have a Trafalgar class nuclear-powered submarine, also equipped with Tomahawks, to support such an operation. Each of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers has at least 90 Tomahawks on board, giving a total of almost 400 missiles ready to launch if Mr Obama decided to go down the military route but restrict the mission to a single aim - to prevent or deter President Assad from using chemical weapons again.

The Tomahawk is guided by GPS to provide navigation precision, but the warhead contains only 454 kg of high explosives, a payload designed to damage, not destroy, its target. A full-scale air campaign, as in Kosovo, would necessitate taking out Syria's air defences - a challenge that General Dempsey appears keen to avoid. So the Tomahawk option rises to the fore. Targets could include chemical weapons storage and production sites, although there would be a risk of chemicals entering the atmosphere.

Raytheon's Standard Missile-6 Exhibit Capabilities

The U.S. Navy fired two Raytheon Company Standard Missile-6 interceptors from the USS Chancellorsville, successfully engaging two cruise missile targets (BQM-74 drones) in the missile's first over-the-horizon test scenario at sea.

The SM-6 will provide U.S. Navy sailors and their vessels extended  range protection against fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles as part of the Naval Integrated Fire Control - Counter Air (NIFC-CA) mission area. "The SM-6's ability to engage threats at significantly greater ranges than other missiles in its class is a game changer for the U.S. Navy," said Jim Normoyle, Raytheon Missile Systems' SM-6 program director.

In February, Raytheon delivered the first SM-6 from its new $75 million, 70,000 square-foot SM-6 and Standard Missile-3 all-up-round production facility at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala. In May, a Defense Acquisition Board approved full-rate production of the SM-6 missile. "SM-6 combines the best of our SM-2, SM-3 and AMRAAM missiles, providing an enhanced anti-air warfare and over-the-horizon capability at a reduced cost," said Mike Campisi, Raytheon Missile Systems' senior director of Standard Missile-1, -2, and -6 programs. "We have delivered more than 50 missiles ahead of schedule and under cost, and we remain on track to reach initial operating capability in 2013."

 

About the SM-6

SM-6 delivers a proven over-the-horizon air defense capability by leveraging the time-tested advantages of the Standard Missile's airframe and propulsion.

• The SM-6 uses both active and semiactive guidance modes and advanced fuzing techniques.
• It incorporates the advanced signal processing and guidance control capabilities from Raytheon's Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile.

Chinese military helicopter launches air-to-air missile

China's first self-developed modern military attack helicopter WZ-10 has launched its first air-to-air missile and successfully intercepted low-altitude targets.

The WZ-10, meaning "armed helicopter", carried out the launch during a live-fire drill involving army aviation troops of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the eastern waters off south China's Guangdong Province last week.

The WZ-10 is designed primarily for anti-tank missions and was first seen in public at the 9th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in the southern city of Zhuhai in Guangdong in 2012.

Obama set to launch missile strikes on Syria 'in days'

• United States is set to launch missile strikes against the Syrian regime in retaliation for its barbaric chemical attack on civilians.
• It is believed that a "one-off barrage of strikes" using cruise missiles launched from warships in the Mediterranean is the leading option under consideration.
• United Kingdom would be pressing to launch the missile strike in the next few days.
• The cruise missile blitz is likely to be short and sharp and will not signal an intention to get involved in the bloody civil war in Syria.
• The intervention is likely to involve missile strikes rather than an airborne bombing campaign, in order to avoid the dangers posed by the sophisticated air defenses supplied to Syria by Russia. The U.S. Navy had sent a fourth warship armed with ballistic missiles into the eastern Mediterranean Sea but without immediate orders for any missile launch into Syria.
• It is not revealed if Moscow has delivered advanced S-300 missile systems to the Syrian regime, a development which would vastly improve its defence capabilities and make any attempt to seize control Syrian air space considerably more difficult.

India: Second test-firing of Agni-V

Working at a fast pace towards production and induction of Agni-V missile into the forces, Defence Research and DevelopmentOrganisation (DRDO) is reportedly planning its second test fire next month.

The maiden test fire of Agni-V, the first intercontinental ballistic missile of India, was carried out in April 2012. The successful trial catapulted the country into the exclusive ICBM club comprising six elite countries, United States of America, Russia, China, France and United Kingdom.

Dr. V. G. Sekaran, chief controller R&D Missiles & Strategic Systems and Agni programme director, said that while no date has been fixed for the test as of now, it will be conducted in September. "This test shall be aimed at repeatability of the previous test for stabilizing the performance of sub-systems," he said, adding that DRDO is working at starting the production and delivery phase by 2015 for Agni-V.

Meanwhile, DRDO is leaving no stone unturned for kick starting the canisterization process for Agni-V by this year end. Canister launch of the missile will enable higher flexibility in launching speedy firing from any location on a road. The indigenously developed 50-tonne long range surface-to-surface ballistic missile Agni-V, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead weighing more than a tonne, has a 5,000 km range as per DRDO officials, who confirmed that preparations are at full swing at Wheeler Island off the Odisha Coast for a September launch.

Once inducted, India's range with respect to missile reach would include the entire Asia as well as parts of other continents. Agni V will be inducted into the force equipped with MIRVs (Multiple Independently Targetable Re-Entry Vehicles (MIRVs) for shooting multiple warheads at the same time.

341st Missile Wing: A brief look

The 341st Missile Wing, headquartered at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., is one of three U.S. Air Force Bases that maintains and operates the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile.

The 341st Missile Wing reports directly to 20th Air Force, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., and is part of Air Force Global Strike Command, headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. 

Mission 

The mission of the 341st Missile Wing is to defend America with safe, secure, effective nuclear forces and combat-ready Airmen.

People 

• Approximately 4,000 people, including more than 3,300 active-duty and more than 700 civilians, comprise the 341st Missile Wing.
• Malmstrom Air Force Base is also host to a tenant unit, the 819th RED HORSE Squadron, which accounts for nearly 500 personnel. 

Organizations 

The 341st Missile Wing is made up of a wing staff and five groups:

• 341st Operations Group
• 341st Maintenance Group
• 341st Mission Support Group
• 341st Security Forces Group
• 341st Medical Group

The 341st Operations Group consists of more than 500 operators, administrators, chefs and facility managers and is composed of three missile squadrons:

• Operations support
• Helicopters
• Standardization and evaluation element

Each of the operations group's three missile squadrons are responsible for:

• Five Missile Alert Facilities
• 50 Minuteman III ICBMs

The units of the 341st Operations Group include five squadrons:

• 10th Missile Squadron
• 12th Missile Squadron
• 490th Missile Squadron
• 341st Operations Support Squadron
• 40th Helicopter Squadron 

The 341st Maintenance Group provides the maximum number of fully modernized, combat capable Minuteman III missiles and the command and control required to execute launch per higher command authority. The units of the 341st Maintenance Group include:

• The 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron
• The 341st Maintenance Operations Squadron
• The 341st Munitions Squadron

The 341st Mission Support Group provides world-class support to enable the deterrent mission of the 341st Missile Wing, while preparing and deploying expeditionary combat support forces in support of the combatant commanders. The support group provides the war-fighting and peace-time support to the 341st Missile Wing. This includes:

• Supporting 43 units and tenants
• Resource protection
• Engineering and construction
• Disaster preparedness
• Personnel administration
• Communication services
• Recreation facilities
• Dining and lodging services
• Worldwide contingency mobility forces

The units of the 341st Mission Support Group include:

• 341st Civil Engineer Squadron
• 341st Communications Squadron
• 341st Logistics Readiness Squadron
• 341st Contracting Squadron
• 341st Force Support Squadron

The 341st Security Forces Group, the largest security forces group in the Air Force, ensures the most stringent security forces' support to the largest intercontinental ballistic missile complex in the world through effective management of all war-fighting and peacetime security taskings assigned to the 341st Missile Wing. The units of the 341st Security Forces Group include:

• 341st Security Forces Squadron
• 341st Missile Security Forces Squadron
• 741st Missile Security Forces Squadron
• 341st Security Support Squadron
• Tactical Response Force unit

The 341st Medical Group is responsible for all medical and dental care for nearly 15,000 beneficiaries throughout north-central Montana. The group's mission is to maximize 341st Missile Wing personnel health, fitness and readiness through comprehensive managed health care systems emphasizing health promotion and preventive medicine. The units of the 341st Medical Group include:

• 341st Medical Operations Squadron
• 341st Medical Support Squadron

Resources

• 150 Minuteman III missiles 
• 8 UH-1N "Huey" helicopters 
• Malmstrom Air Force Base is also host to the 819th RED HORSE squadron

Syria: U.S. U.K. and France entering the stage

UK, US and France military planners are drawing up potential targets for missile strikes on Syria amid growing certainty that the Assad regime was behind chemical weapons attacks which killed hundreds of civilians last week.

While there has been no decision on the type of action, military staff in London and Washington are compiling a list of targets among a range of "and/or" options:

• Arming the rebels
• Creating a safe haven
• Establishment of a no-fly zone
• Surgical cruise missile strikes against chemical weapons facilities (Sea-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles are the most likely option)

Below are details of U.S., French and British forces in the region that could be involved in case of any attack.

United States

 
• The U.S. Navy has increased its number of cruise missile-carrying destroyers in the Mediterranean to four from three by delaying the return to the United States of the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Mahan.

 
• The aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman, by far the most powerful warship in the region, left the Mediterranean last weekend, passing through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea.

 
• As well as the strike aircraft carried by the Truman, several of her escort ships are also capable of firing Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles.

 
• The United States has also had F-16 jets in Jordan, where they remained after a major military exercise this year at the request of the Jordanian government.

 
• Also has a major air base at Incirlik in Turkey that could easily house multiple aircraft as part of a wider military campaign.

United Kingdom

 
• Britain would likely be dependent on its cruise missile-carrying Trafalgar and Astute class attack submarines if it wished to join in any U.S.-led campaign. 

 
• Britain does not currently have any combat aircraft in the region, although they could theoretically operate from UK sovereign bases in Cyprus providing the local government agreed.

France

 

• The French nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is operational and remains for now in the Mediterranean port of Toulon.

 

• Also has Rafale and Mirage jets based in the United Arab Emirates that could potentially reach Syria.