Article

2018-04-15 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Russia Claims 71 Out Of 105 Cruise Missiles Downed In Yesteday's Air Strikes. None Were Shot Down According to The US.

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Posted by Percy McCoy4369 2018-04-15 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11 views ] Top
File under: Govt of Syria

#1 Pew!Pew!Pew!Pew!
"You're dead! Fall down!"
"No! You missed!"

Posted by Roth LaDoad 2018-04-15 02:02|| 2018-04-15 02:02|| Front Page Top

#2 ...The vaunted S-400 does not seem to have done well at all Friday night, assuming any were even fired. What struck me was the video footage of SAMs being launched, and climbing way, way higher than any attacking aircraft or missiles would have been. That seems consistent with the Syrians opening fire after everybody had gone home, and it was safe to do so without catching a GBU or HARM in their laps.

(Also, an aside - there is at least some possibility that there's no such thing as an S-400 - it's the S-300 with a new nameplate and price tag...and the S-300 was competent enough, but no Excaliburski.)

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2018-04-15 07:03|| 2018-04-15 07:03|| Front Page Top

#3 That seems consistent with the Syrians opening fire after everybody had gone home

Happened during Northern Watch-Southern Watch in the 1999-2000 timeframe as well. Flipping on those Russian T-14 'Tall king Radars' too soon can be hazardous to one's health. Triple-A batteries routinely fired a few rounds after the fact.

Posted by Besoeker 2018-04-15 07:17|| 2018-04-15 07:17|| Front Page Top

#4 Whatever happened to Baghdad Bob? Did he get resurrected in Syria?

Posted by JohnQC 2018-04-15 09:58|| 2018-04-15 09:58|| Front Page Top

#5 If only a small number of those shot off got through, and still did that much damage... That most were shot down cannot possiibly be a reassuring argument.

Posted by trailing wife 2018-04-15 10:14|| 2018-04-15 10:14|| Front Page Top

#6 "108 of the 105 were shot down"

Posted by Frank G 2018-04-15 10:21|| 2018-04-15 10:21|| Front Page Top

#7 I'm no expert but to me it seems a bit odd that all these missiles were shot down and yet not a single one of the airplanes was hit. A missile's mission is to crash and burn, hopefully on its target, so it's difficult if not impossible to verify Russia's claim. But if Assad could claim even one of the warplanes was knocked out of the sky that could be verified and it would be a huge victory for him. Strange that didn't happen.

Posted by Abu Uluque 2018-04-15 10:59|| 2018-04-15 10:59|| Front Page Top

#8 That is because all the aircraft involved fired their missiles without entering Syrian space. Hard to shoot them down if they don't even come to you. ;)

Posted by DarthVader 2018-04-15 11:09|| 2018-04-15 11:09|| Front Page Top

#9 Most of the missiles used were (relatively) "old and dumb" US Tomahawk cruise missiles. That the ~~Soviets~~ Russians couldn't do a better job shooting them down is ... interesting... considering that they have had decades to figure out counter-measures. (And we have counter-counter-measures...)

Posted by magpie 2018-04-15 11:26|| 2018-04-15 11:26|| Front Page Top

#10 Hard to shoot them down if they don't even come to you. ;)

Well, then I suppose it's a ridiculous question to ask what good is this highly sophisticated and expensive air defense system if it doesn't defend against the things your enemy is doing?

Posted by Abu Uluque 2018-04-15 12:04|| 2018-04-15 12:04|| Front Page Top

#11 You remember Pet Rocks, Abu? Perhaps the Russians learned a lesson, way back then.

Posted by Bobby 2018-04-15 12:08|| 2018-04-15 12:08|| Front Page Top

#12 I guess you can make money selling Pet Rocks as long as your customers are dumber than a box or rocks. Gotta wonder if the Iranians and Norks are asking these same questions.

Posted by Abu Uluque 2018-04-15 12:27|| 2018-04-15 12:27|| Front Page Top

#13 The vaunted S-400 does not seem to have done well at all Friday night

I think that the most advanced air defense weapons at Pencilneck's disposal were 9 batteries of BUK-M2(E?) and 12 batteries of SA-22. They also have 4 batteries of S-200 SA-5 GAMMON. The rest are even older.

Posted by Percy McCoy4369 2018-04-15 13:58|| 2018-04-15 13:58|| Front Page Top

#14 All 105 were downed. That was their purpose. Now tell us they were downed in pieces in a place other than they were intended...

Posted by Glenmore 2018-04-15 17:20|| 2018-04-15 17:20|| Front Page Top

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