In yet another sign that the Russians are looking to stir the pot in the Middle East, they've decided to sell P-800 Yakhont cruise missiles to Syria.
The sale is worth at least $300 million and will have the Russians delivering around 72 cruise missiles to the Syrians.
The Yakhont is an advanced supersonic, long range, anti-ship missile that features its own high tech inertial navigation system to reach the target area.
The Yakhont can be used at extremely low altitudes and is able to fly between 5 and 15 meters like a sea-skimming missile. Aside from reducing its radar footprint, the low altitude mode increases the element of surprise and minimizes reaction time against the incoming missile.
Of course, it can also be used against land-based targets.
The above map shows the potential range of P800 Yakhont missiles fired from Syrian bases like Tartus or land sites in Southern Syria and Lebanon.
This has implications not only for Israel but for US ships in the area, since the Yakhont was designed to defeat ships protected by the US AEGIS weapon system and similar European systems.
Since Israel and Syria remain technically at war, the Israelis perceive this as a hostile act - especially since there's nothing to stop Syrian dictator Basher Assad from handing the missiles off to Hezbollah.Or for that matter to Iran, as a nifty way around sanctions that the Russians have used before. It's pretty easy to picture the Iranians using the Yakhont missiles against US ships in the Gulf.
Of course, that's what's been wrong all along with the farcical US attempts to 'engage' with Syria. They are not only a conduit to Hezbollah, but to Iran.
The Russians of course are discounting this, and Russia's defense minister Anatoly Serdyukov took the same stance that Russia did over supplying fuel to Iran's Bushehr reactor...don't worry, be happy.
"The US and Israel ask us not to supply Syria with Yakhont," he was quoted as saying on Friday. "But we do not see the concerns expressed by them, that these arms will fall into the hands of terrorists."
Ri-ight.
1 comment:
I believe war in the Middle East is inevitable. None of the many states and terrorist organzations arrayed against Israel has the will or desire to prevent war or to NOT employ these weapons to kill Israelis. When it happens I think this time will be different from previous wars against Israel. After many stunning defeats the Arabs and terrorists are not looking for another defeat and will very likely be far more prepared then in past confrontations. Additionally the terrorists have made it clear they intend to hide their weapons systems in schools, mosques and hospitals so that Israel would be hesitant to hit them and if they did they would be accused of targeting civilians. These weapons will of necessity change the tactics of Israel from one of search and destroy to a more effective option like massive retalliation. How else could you react against a hostile force within a few miles of your most populous cities with deadly and accurate missiles and the will to use them. This will not be pretty.
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