Missiles, Radar & ☢ Nuclear Weapons.

[TsarSamuil]

Russia to kit out warships with new ‘aircraft carrier killer’ rockets as standoff with West continues to heat up on high seas.

RT.com
27 Aug, 2021 12:57

Warships and boats of the Russian Navy will soon be carrying advanced new missiles designed to take out enemy vessels in a single, critical blow, after Moscow’s Ministry of Defense signed a contract with their manufacturer.

On Friday, RIA Novosti reported that military chiefs had penned the deal with rocket design bureau NPO Mashinostroyenia. Under the terms of the agreement, deliveries of the Zircon complex will be received next year, marking the first time a serial anti-ship hypersonic missile has been routinely deployed.

Last month, a warship sailing in Arctic waters reported the successful test-firing of the Zircon. According to officials, “it struck the target in the White Sea with a direct hit at a distance of over 350 kilometers (217 miles). The test confirmed the tactical and technical performance of the missile, and its flight speed was around Mach 7.” This means that the projectile flew at hypersonic velocity, seven times faster than the speed of sound. The Zircon has been nicknamed the ‘aircraft carrier killer’ on the basis that a single warhead has the potential to take down large targets.

Just weeks ago, US Strategic Command Chief Admiral Charles Richard warned that his country’s “current terrestrial and space-based sensor architecture may not be sufficient to detect and track these hypersonic missiles.” According to him, NATO fleets could become vulnerable if technological advances don’t keep up with the pace of Russia’s missile development.

A series of tense incidents between NATO’s warships and Russian sailors in recent weeks has caused concern that a potential maritime conflict could be on the cards. In June, the British warship HMS ‘Defender’ sailed into the waters around Crimea – which London insists actually belong to Ukraine. Moscow’s forces responded with flyovers and warning shots, and the Russian ambassador to the UK, Andrey Kelin, warned this week that defense chiefs would ensure future such perceived violations would be “more difficult” in future.

[TsarSamuil]

Amid fresh tensions with NATO states, Belarus to purchase $1bn worth of Russian arms, including S-400 missile defense – Lukashenko.

RT.com
12 Sep, 2021 17:14

Belarus is set to acquire over $1 billion worth of arms and military hardware from Russia, its President Alexander Lukashenko has announced, adding that the purchase of S-400 air defense systems was discussed in Moscow, last week.

“We are holding talks and are planning S-400 deliveries,” Lukashenko told journalists, on Sunday, as he attended the Zapad-2021 drills held jointly, on a quadrennial basis, by Russia and Belarus. The Belarusian president also said that security was a major issue on the agenda of his talks with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in the Russian capital.

During the eight-hour-long meeting, the leaders dedicated some three hours to discussing “defense and security,” Lukashenko said, adding that he once again asked the Russian president to supply the advanced air defense systems to Belarus. Putin then ordered the Russian Defense Ministry to “negotiate these issues” with the Belarusian side, he added.

The S-400 is a long-range system with a maximum speed of 4.8km/s (three miles per second) and a range of 600km (375 miles). As well as being in operation with the Russian Army, it has been sold to China and Turkey. India and Saudi Arabia have also placed orders with Moscow.

Although Minsk is yet to strike a formal deal on the S-400s, Belarus and Russia have already agreed on an arms deal worth $1 billion and including various other military hardware ranging from dozens of warplanes and helicopters to mid-range Tor-M2 air defense systems, according to Lukashenko.

Belarus is expected to take delivery by 2025. The arsenal upgrade is needed in light of the continued tensions between Moscow, Minsk and NATO, Lukashenko believes.

The Belarusian president still maintained that all such actions are purely defensive and are aimed at ensuring the security of his country, and its allies.

“We do not aim our missiles at neighboring nations; our aircraft are not picking targets to strike their territory… We are preparing to defend our land. The Union of Russia and Belarus does not need any extra territories.”

His words came as the two nations are holding massive wargames across 14 separate training grounds from the Baltic Sea to Central Russian cities like Voronezh and Nizhny Novgorod. A total of 200,000 soldiers, over 80 aircraft, and up to 760 heavy military equipment pieces, including 290 tanks as well as 15 warships from both nations, take part in the biannual exercise, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

[TsarSamuil]

India may buy Russian S-500 anti-space-weapon defense system in world-first arms deal, despite risk of US sanctions, Moscow claims.

RT.com
16 Sep, 2021 14:59

An advanced new anti-aircraft rocket system hailed as the first ever capable of taking out incoming missiles from low-space orbit could be snapped up by Indian defense chiefs in a move likely to anger the US, Moscow has said.

Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov told journalists on Thursday that New Delhi could “potentially” become the first foreign capital to place an order for the S-500. However, he said, equipping Russia’s own troops with the latest technology would have to be completed before it is considered for sale overseas.

“When we meet the needs of our own armed forces, we can issue an export passport,” he said. “After that, the supreme commander-in-chief [Russian President Vladimir Putin] can decide on whether to grant deliveries to India, if they apply for it.”

Borisov said that friendly relations with New Delhi and the lack of shared regional conflicts made them a low-risk customer for advanced hardware. “In some cases, we are happy to sell to India what we don’t sell to other countries,” he said.

The S-500 is a cutting-edge rocket system capable of taking out fighter jets flying at the fastest speeds, as well as reportedly being capable of hitting even hypersonic weapons in near-Earth space. Chief Commander of the Aerospace Forces Sergei Surovikin has claimed that it represents the first generation of anti-space weapons, and that no other such systems currently exist.

However, the US has attempted to block international sales of the rocket system’s predecessor, the S-400, even imposing sanctions on NATO member Turkey for placing an order. The Pentagon has warned that, even in friendly hands, the anti-aircraft weapon poses a threat to one of its most advanced fighters, the F-35.

General Todd Wolters of the US European Command has said that the launcher would “attempt to exploit the F-35’s capabilities,” regardless of which side of the battlefield it was on. “You cannot operate an F-35 in the vicinity of an S-400,” he said.

Despite the threat of sanctions, more than a dozen nations placed orders for the S-400, including those that frequently buy preferentially from US military-industrial suppliers, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

[TsarSamuil]

Russian Navy test-fires cruise missiles to hit a target over 450km away.

RT.com
Oct 2, 2021



Russia’s Varyag cruiser and Omsk nuclear submarine successfully hit surface targets at a distance of more than 450 kilometers with Vulkan and Granit-type cruise missiles during exercises in the Pacific.

[TsarSamuil]

WATCH: Russian Navy successfully fires Zircon anti-ship hypersonic cruise missile from nuclear submarine for first time ever.

RT.com
4 Oct 2021 | 07:33 GMT

The Russian Armed Forces have successfully conducted the first test launch of its state-of-the-art Zircon hypersonic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine, firing it at a target in the Barents Sea, in Russia’s Arctic north.

The Ministry of Defense published a video showing the successful test.

The Zircon, first produced in 2016, is an anti-ship missile capable of accelerating up to Mach 9. It has been designed to hit enemy surface ships, such as frigates and aircraft carriers, as well as ground targets located within the range of the missile.

Zircon’s speed (9,800-11,025 km/h) makes it difficult for it to be stopped by any anti-aircraft systems.

While this latest launch is the first time the missile has been fired from a nuclear submarine, it has already undergone testing from surface carriers.

In August, Admiral Charles A. Richard of the US Navy warned that hypersonic missiles being created by both Moscow and Beijing pose a significant threat to America.

“Because of these challenges, our current terrestrial- and space-based sensor architecture may not be sufficient to detect and track these hypersonic missiles,” he said.

Earlier this year, as part of his annual address to the Federal Assembly, Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed that the country’s armed forces are modernizing quickly with “hypersonic and laser” missiles, and warned foreign adversaries not to cross Moscow’s “red lines.”