Why not all Tomahawks reached the target and what was the Russian air defense doing at that time - opinion (photo, video). Why did not all the "tomahawks" reach the target and what was the Russian air defense doing at that time - opinion Why some of the tomahawks did not reach the target
A massive cruise missile attack was launched on Syria from American destroyers based in the Mediterranean. As a result, the Shayrat airfield of the Syrian Air Force in the province of Homs was partially destroyed. The official reason for the strikes is to prevent the Syrian leadership from using chemical weapons against civilians. The Pentagon says all planned targets have been destroyed. The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that this strike was being prepared long before there was information about the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
MK asked military experts how effective the US actions were and what goals they wanted to achieve in the first place.
According to military expert Viktor Murakhovsky, the American missile attack is just a PR stunt. “Launching cruise missiles at an airfield can be compared to hammering nails with a microscope. Expensive and inefficient,” says Murakhovsky. In his opinion, the Americans can continue to launch missile strikes, but it is precisely the military effect of these actions that cannot be called a breakthrough. At the same time, Murakhovsky believes that under the guise of these strikes, terrorist groups that are tacitly supported by the United States can go on the offensive.
Ivan Konovalov, head of the sector for military policy and economics at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, is also convinced that a cruise missile attack is primarily a demonstration action. “What do we see. The runway of the airfield is practically untouched. Warehouses were destroyed, where, according to American intelligence, chemical weapons were allegedly located, but there was no chemical release into the atmosphere. This means that no prohibited ammunition was stored in the warehouses,” Konovalov noted. According to him, of course, the infrastructure of the airfield was destroyed, but it is too early to say that these destructions are critical. So, apparently, the task of completely destroying the airfield was not. In addition, the Syrian army was warned in advance about the strike and evacuated its units from the airfield.
According to Konovalov, it is still difficult to say why not all missiles reached the target.
“Now the Syrians, under the supervision of Russian military experts, are setting up an air defense system, and this is not only anti-aircraft missile systems, this is building decoy systems, electronic warfare. The missiles could have been knocked off course,” the expert suggested. Also, according to him, Tomogawk is an old development complex from the 70s of the last century and it can no longer be called super-efficient. “It is clear that the missiles have an expiration date and, perhaps, launched those missiles that were soon to be decommissioned, so it cannot be ruled out that they simply did not reach their targets due to their advanced age,” Konovalov did not rule out.
The expert is convinced that the strike with cruise missiles is primarily a demonstration of US military power to the allies and a message to those who hesitate, such as Turkish President Erdogan. Turkey is presented with a choice - with whom it is. In addition, Konovalov recalled that the launch of the Tomahawks took place at the moment when President Donald Trump was receiving his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. It is possible that the United States demonstrated its tough position to the Chinese, with whom they have many unresolved problems.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, through its official representative, Major General Igor Konashenkov, has already stated that it regards the actions of the American side as a flagrant violation of the Memorandum on preventing incidents and ensuring security during operations in Syrian airspace signed in 2015.
"The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation suspends cooperation with the Pentagon within the framework of this Memorandum," Konashenkov stressed.
He stated that the attack by American cruise missiles on the Syrian air base was being prepared long before the events related to the chemical attack on Khan Jeyhun.
"In order to prepare such a strike, it is necessary to carry out a large set of measures for reconnaissance, planning, preparing flight missions and bringing missiles to full readiness for launch," he said. The general said that in order to cover the most sensitive objects of the Syrian infrastructure, a set of measures will be implemented in the near future to strengthen and increase the effectiveness of the air defense system of the Syrian armed forces.
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"Tomahawk" (Tomahawk) is an American multi-purpose high-precision long-range subsonic cruise missile (up to 2500 km) for strategic and tactical purposes. It flies at extremely low altitudes, following the terrain. There are 13 modifications. It can be equipped with various types of warheads, including nuclear ones. It has been used in all significant military conflicts involving the United States since its adoption in 1983. Estimated cost $1.45 million.
On the night of April 7, an extremely powerful cruise missile strike was delivered from two US Navy destroyers on the territory of the Syrian Air Force base Shayrat. According to official statements from the Pentagon, 59 Tomahawks were fired at the target, 58 of which managed to successfully hit the intended targets. One of the cruise missiles, for unknown reasons, went off course and fell near the large Syrian port of Tartus.
However, according to some media reports, only 23 Tomahawks flew to Shayrat. The impact sites of the remaining 35 missiles (with the exception of Tartus) are unknown. This raises a logical question: whose version should be trusted and where, in the case of the plausibility of the second one, could the missing Tomahawks disappear?After the attack was completed, various information publications cited many hypotheses regarding the future fate of 35 American cruise missiles, but most of them were based only on allegations and did not look plausible. Therefore, the data coming from the US Department of Defense seemed somewhat convincing. However, just a couple of days ago, footage of another Tomahawk appeared on the Web, which also deviated from the intended target.
According to the Syrian information Syria Free News, the site of the fall of the American cruise missile was discovered by a Syrian farmer on his date plantation, located near the Shayrat air base. In support of his words, the Syrian demonstrates parts of the hull and electronic equipment of the Tomahawk, which were found near the rocket.
A Syrian farmer demonstrates the wreckage of a Tomahawk found in his field. Photo source: youtube.com
A nameplate located on a fragment of a found cruise missile, which proves his belonging to the Tomahawk. Photo source: youtube.comYuri Antonov dies quietlyLady or simpleton: what does a haircut sayCoin owners from the USSR are millionaires
Judging by the size of the funnel and the absence of visible damage to the growing trees, the warhead of the found Tomahawk did not corny detonate, which led to the destruction of the rocket when it hit the ground. Also, the failure of the explosive device is evidenced by the configuration of the funnel, more like a furrow, which is typical for unexploded ammunition upon impact with an obstacle.
How many rockets flew to Shayrat? Second crashed Tomahawk discovered
A crater that was formed from the fall of the Tomahawk in the field of a Syrian farmer. A “furrow-like” trace is clearly visible, characteristic of the fall of unexploded ordnance.
The fact that the Tomahawk only slightly deviated from the trajectory, as the farmer who discovered it, who from his home watched the fires at the air base itself, confirms this, does not play well for the US military. The cruise missile, touted by the Pentagon as one of the most precision-guided weapons, has once again proved its imperfection.
In turn, the Tomahawk discovered on the field makes it possible to catch the American military department, which claims only one missed missile, in a lie. At least two samples of "high-precision weapons" launched at the Shayrat airbase and not reaching the target have already been found. And therefore, the version of 36 Tomahawks that went astray looks much more plausible than the Pentagon version of the almost 100% hit of the target by 59 missiles.
It remains only to wait for new reports from the Syrian media about other fallen Tomahawks found in those provinces over which missiles could fly.
It was to such an unexpected conclusion that General Konashenkov's phrase about the Tomahawks that had reached the target led the experts. I will not bore readers with details why this act is impossible - there are both political and purely technical reasons. The latter, however, are of a secondary nature - having missed the first launches, ours could well work out on launched missiles. But this is already a direct clash, for which Russia did not sign an agreement with Syria, helping only in the fight against terrorists. The United States, de jure, are not. And de facto it is clear where dissenters can shove themselves - after Yugoslavia, even the most slow-witted understood. And after Libya...
Konaenkov's speeches are interesting and self-sufficient in themselves:
But the conspiracy theory is also beautiful. According to Russian means of objective control, only 23 missiles reached the Syrian air base. The crash site of the remaining 36 cruise missiles is unknown,” Konashenkov said. Plus, the video of the destruction in his own speech is clearly not enough for 59 missiles. Based on this, we start:
"... I believe the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, writes chervonec:
a) it is possible to determine the number of missiles that reached the airfield on the spot
b) the survey shows completely non-critical damage
It is doubly surprising that there are no reports that Russia used the S-300 and S-400 systems (only target illumination?) And its aircraft as air defense.
Another moment --- the attack came from the sea, from which the rocket does not fly much --- 100 km and only 30 km to fly over the territory of Syria (from the border of Lebanon). Accordingly, the Syrian air defense for counteraction is nothing at all and time and distance.
So where did 61% of the rockets dissolve. The rest .... disappeared?
23 flew, and 4 hit the target.
As a result, 59 cruise missiles worth almost 100 megabucks went to 6 old MiG-23s that were under REPAIR. And the dining room is a pity."
The dining room is really a pity. As well as the dead. But the version is only developing. Let's start from the number 36. By the way, there was another rocket that "fell down" there, the 37th. Remember: "At the moment, hops fly off me at the number 37 ..."?:
The missiles obviously did too little damage for their smart 59 brains, really barely enough for two dozen:
Here's how Tomahawks hit targets:
Some of the aircraft in the open air and some of the caponiers also survived here.
But we develop theme 36:
"So, given: - how many missiles were fired from American destroyers: 59; - how many missiles flew to the ill-fated Syrian airfield: 23. In the remainder: 36 missiles. Where did they go? Just scattered across the desert or fell into the sea? hard to believe, the Americans are too prudent and pragmatic to lose more than half of the missiles just like that somewhere, especially since Tomahawks have long been used in punitive operations since the Gulf War in 1991, then there was Yugoslavia, again Iraq, Libya .
Few times the Americans lost dozens of Tomahawks at once. Watch the numbers: 59 - 23 = 36... I'm intriguing biggrin Remember the number 36. Now let's look at the performance characteristics of the S-400 Triumph air defense system, you can find it on any military website, no one hides this data. Small screenshot: 
American "Tomahawks" in Syria could be shot down by our S-400 "Triumph" 59 - 36 = 23
The number of simultaneously fired targets (with the full complement of air defense systems) 36. What does this mean? This means that 1 S-400 division is capable of simultaneously shooting down 36 targets. One S-400 division includes a lot of different equipment: a command post, radars, launchers themselves, technical assistance, etc. Launchers, those that we always see at parades (see photo below, who have not seen), there are 12 pieces in the division , i.e. 12 x 4 = 48 missiles. This means that the number of missiles for 1 accurate salvo is quite enough for itself. The height of hitting targets is from 5 meters, cruise missiles are included in this category of targets.
American "Tomahawks" in Syria could be shot down by our S-400 "Triumph"
Why am I so sure that 1 S-400 division is based in Syria? Because this is open information that is in the public domain:
Based on all the data, we can conclude that there is 1 S-400 Triumph division in Syria, capable of destroying up to 48 targets, but 36 of them with one salvo. 36.
Here is some more useful information for those who say that the Tomahawks were out of reach of our air defense.
Why am I so sure that it was the S-400s that destroyed the Tomahawks? And let's ask a counter question, why did the Americans suddenly want to launch 59 (!!!) cruise missiles at the airfield of the Syrian army? This huge swarm of metal, fire and explosives is fired at one military airfield.
To completely paralyze such an airfield, a pair of missiles would be required - to hit the runway, and that's it. By the way, why exactly 59 and not 60, for example? Probably 1 rocket did not take off or fell somewhere on the deck. Such a swarm of missiles was needed to somehow get through our air defense. The maximum that we are capable of in such a situation is to shoot down 48 missiles of an obvious enemy. It was decided to shoot down 36 out of 59 with one salvo.
The rest, most likely, were blinded and stunned by our electronic warfare, because. it is not entirely clear why the missiles did not hit the target exactly. Well, this is an assumption, I can not vouch for the accuracy of the information. Or maybe the Americans did not set exact goals, but simply wanted to defiantly go through our air defense. And they passed, with losses, but they passed. As planned. By the way, this was a reason for all the liberal media to shout that our air defense is full of holes like a sieve and start arranging a funeral for the S-400.
But none of them considered our specific resources and downed enemy missiles. If we proceed from the fact that 59 missiles were launched not at the airfield, but to break through our air defense, then this can be considered a direct blow to us. The breakthrough in this case was a success, 23 missiles passed through our defenses. The United States is once again openly showing aggression towards Russia, but we do not see an adequate response. Or it is still too early to wait for any reaction, although ... wait for the replenishment of S-400 divisions in Syria, there are clearly not enough resources."
Such is the version. Incredible for me - it is impossible to hide the launch of dozens of missiles - the network would already be torn from the frames recorded on the phones, since there are plenty of people around our base, and no one would hide such a phenomenal success. But like a beautiful fairy tale, it has the right to life.
Only 23 out of 59 American cruise missiles reached the Syrian Shayrat airbase. The official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, at a briefing in Moscow, said that the place where 36 missiles fell is unknown, while noting the low effectiveness of the American missile attack.
Political scientist: what the Americans did in Syria does not fit into any gatesRussian President Vladimir Putin called the US missile attack on an air base in Syria aggression. Political scientist Kira Sazonova, on the air of Sputnik radio, noted that Washington acted in defiance of all norms of international law.As for efficiency, I don't know. Let American missile developers and taxpayers ache about this. In this case, something else is alarming: where did the 36 missiles go? It is said that they fell into the sea. It would be good that way. And if they would have flown to our air base? The Americans, of course, will prove in black and white that this is impossible: a computer program, no errors, everything is calculated to the millimeter. And this is exactly what is disturbing. And how many times have the Americans already hit in the wrong place and in the wrong place? How many "friendly" strikes have already been dealt. If awards were also given for them, then in the American army the number of order bearers would increase by an order of magnitude, no less.
What conclusions can be drawn from all this? Only one is to strengthen Russian air defenses around our bases. Konashenkov did not say this. Apparently, this goes without saying. On the other hand, he said that in the near future the Russian military would implement a set of measures to strengthen the Syrian air defense system. And it is right. After all, no one needs friendly-unfriendly strikes against Damascus or Aleppo. Enough of Mosul. However, if you look at the silence of the West, everything is calm in Mosul ...
Now about the consequences of the American strike. The same Konashenkov says that the decision to strike was made in Washington long before the incident with chemical weapons in Idlib and was dictated solely by domestic political reasons.
This is, of course, true. Trump decided to cut the Gordian knot with one blow. This is his response to accusations about the "hand of Moscow" in his victory, and an attack on senators who accuse him of surrendering to American interests. Showed it to everyone - and smoothly switched to North Korea.
Of course, I could be wrong, but Trump is unlikely to give another order to bomb Syria. I'll explain why. First, Moscow suspended the Russian-American memorandum on preventing incidents in the skies of Syria. Secondly ... However, in this case, "firstly" will suffice. Because even the "mad dogs of the Pentagon" will stop salivating when their own analysts tell them what will happen if they do not pay attention to what was "in the first place." (Moreover, as it became known, the frigate of the Black Sea Fleet "Admiral Grigorovich", armed with cruise missiles "Caliber", has already been sent to the Mediterranean Sea).
And the most interesting - for dessert. Both the American senators and the Syrian opposition (are they not from the same party?) unanimously say: Russia is also responsible for Idlib. From this, she, they say, can not escape. I haven't heard anything like this said about the US. Whether it's Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia... It turns out like this: the Americans threw bombs at them, everything that was possible and unnecessary was sprayed - and no responsibility. Only one conclusion can be drawn from this: the United States is some kind of irresponsible beacon of democracy and progress ...
At the end of the briefing, Igor Konashenkov said that the Russian Defense Ministry is waiting for evidence from the Pentagon of the version of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian army in the province of Idlib.
And on the road. The British Daily Mail removed from its website an article titled "US backs plan to carry out chemical attack in Syria and blame Assad regime for it." It is dated as early as January 29, 2013 ...
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And now to the point. It is impossible to turn off the Tomahawk guidance devices using electronic warfare systems. Yes, these systems are capable of jamming the missile's radio receivers, such as the GPS receiver. And they say that in 1999 in Yugoslavia even microwave ovens were used for these purposes. But the effectiveness of such methods is extremely low. The fact is that on board cruise missiles there are several duplicating and complementary systems that provide high-precision access to the target.
Firstly, it is an inertial guidance system based on gyroscopes, which is completely autonomous, and which is not affected by any interference. But it has low pointing accuracy - an error of about 800 m "runs" in an hour of flight and therefore it must be corrected using more accurate navigation systems. For example, a GPS navigation guidance system that allows you to correct the data of the inertial guidance system based on signals from satellites. Here she is really susceptible to interference and they can prevent her data from being used to correct the flight.
By the way, we use a similar system in the center of Moscow, and drivers using GPS navigators know that these navigators give false readings to the Kremlin area, since the issuance of accurate coordinates can be used to commit terrorist attacks in this area using quadrocopters and other similar devices.
In addition, two more systems are used to guide cruise missiles to the target, allowing for an accurate approach to the target. These are the Tercom correlation system and the DSMAC optical system.
Tercom includes a computer, a radio altimeter, a set of reference maps of areas along the missile's flight route. The principle of operation of the TERCOM subsystem is based on a comparison of the terrain of a particular area where the missile is located with reference maps of the terrain along the route of its flight. The determination of the terrain is carried out by comparing the data of radio and barometric altimeters. The first measures the height to the surface of the earth, and the second - relative to sea level. Information about a certain terrain in digital form is entered into the on-board computer, where it is compared with data on the relief of the actual terrain and reference maps of areas. The computer generates correction signals for the inertial control subsystem. Theoretically, it is possible to interfere with a radio altimeter, but this is quite a difficult task. The radiation pattern of the radio altimeter antenna is quite narrow (about 12-14 degrees) and therefore it is necessary to create a very high interference power along the entire flight route of the Tomahawk, since special measures are taken on the rocket to suppress signals coming through the side lobes of the radio altimeter antenna. Those. to jam the radio altimeter channel, it is necessary to deploy hundreds or even thousands of ground-based jammers throughout the entire territory over which the Tomahawks will fly. And this is technically impossible. Or it is necessary to place jammers on airplanes or helicopters and accompany cruise missiles along the entire route of their flight. And it is also technically very difficult.
And finally, at the final stage of the Tomahawk flight, when approaching the target, the DSMAC subsystem is turned on. With the help of optical sensors, the areas adjacent to the target are inspected. The resulting images are digitally entered into the on-board computer. He compares them with the reference digital pictures of the areas embedded in his memory, and develops corrective missile maneuvers to accurately hit the target.
You can try to deal with this subsystem. The first is reliable camouflage of the target, the use of smoke screens, changing the landscape, etc. The second is the "burning out" of the rocket's optical sensors with the help of powerful laser radiation. Which is also very difficult to implement technically.
And the most reliable way to combat the massive use of cruise missiles is to use the electromagnetic pulse of a nuclear explosion, which will simply burn out the "electronic brains" of cruise missiles. But at the same time, a nuclear explosion (explosions) will cause unacceptable damage to its own population and infrastructure.
So do not believe the various "sensational" materials. Including a fake about how the Su-24 of its on-board electronic warfare equipment "Khibiny" disabled all the electronics of an American destroyer in the Black Sea.
UPD Photos have nothing to do with Tomahawks. They have a missile from the Tochka-U divisional tactical complex. This is evidenced by the lattice rudders behind the rocket. Here is another Syrian photo of this missile.
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