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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Russian military hardware floods into the Med in advance of naval exercise |
| 2015-09-30 |
| Several Russian Navy surface combatants and combat aircraft are expected to arrive in the eastern Mediterranean Sea by Wednesday in preparations for the naval exercise to begin September 30th, according to Russian language news accounts. Among the Russian military equipment arriving in Syria are six SU-34 bombers, which are operated by the Russian Air Force. This new deployment brings the total Russian fixed wing combat aircraft in Syria to 34. Currently, four Su-30 air superiority aircraft, 12 Su-25 ground interdiction aircraft and 12 Su-24 bombers are in Syria, or have arrived at Latakia. Russian reports say, however, that many of those aircraft are destined to be turned over to Syrian pilots. The SU-34 aircraft took off from a base in far southern Russia, then took a route over the Caspian Sea, through the air spaces of northern Iran and Iraq, then into Syria. The SU-34 is a newly introduced aircraft which will replace the Su-24 bomber. The Russian Air Force plans to have as many as 200 SU-34 aircraft in their inventory by 2020. Among the ships slated to arrive in the eastern Mediterranean Sea is the guided missile cruiser (CG) Moskva, the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. An additional ship due to arrive in Syria is identified in Russian press accounts as Alligator class landing ship Nikolai Filchenkov. The Nikolai Filchenkov also is used by the Russian Navy as a naval anchorage construction ship, and is likely to be used to improve the naval base at Tartus. The naval exercise is centered at a point between Tartus and Cyprus, about 70 kilometers (38 nautical miles) west of Tartus. Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com and on Twitter. |
| Posted by:badanov |