Today, Moscow demonstrated how the most advanced Russian weapons work, which impress the general staffs of the world’s leading armies into changing their strategic plans and developing new tactical schemes. Joint exercises by the Northern and Black Sea fleets took place off the Crimean coast. Vladimir Putin watched them in close proximity. The maneuvers’ highlights were the combat launches of the Kinzhal hypersonic missile and Kalibr cruise missiles.
Saker Message:
Russia’s navy presently is good for defense, not naval warfare in blue waters. It is too old, too small compared to US, China, India, and Japan.
However, it is armed with the best missiles, defenses and EW warfare systems.
Soon, the Black Sea, Barents-Baltic, Arctic and Far East fleets will be larger and newer. They will be needed. Russia is returning to full SuperPower status and must have a first class, large naval presence to cope with the pressures of the US and NATO and responsibilities of maintaining balance of power in the Arctic, Asia-Pacific, North Sea, Atlantic, Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.
Shipbuilding capacity is limited in Russia, as is a small military budget. Maybe some of the surface ships can be built or partially built by South Korea, China and India while new modern shipyards are constructed in Russia.
During the sixties/70s I was taught that missiles are the poor mans defence… Ships are becoming a thing of the past in warfare.
Recall the exocet missiles during Falklands war 1982
down goes the HMS Sheffield.
Missiles are the new toy
The rest most of us are aware of.
Agree.
I´m Argentine and remember very well this glorious episode of our tiny Air Force.
Respecting this debate -the need of big ships, etc…-, I believe that it would be interesting to read the articles that Mr. Martyanov wrote about this matter. Worth it.
Regards.
Our Air Force was not tiny. It was, in fact, quite big.
Salu2
Not only the Sheffield, many others as well.
They are not seriously considering another carrier? President Putin did say it seems expensive though.
The hybrid helo – workhorse looks interesting & would operate on most craft.
Yup, he was here yesterday, in the peninsula today.
Black Sea Flot has grown exponentially in the last five years, new ships, generally but not only the frigates and missile ships suitable for the relatively small, albeit very deep in areas, Black Sea. New submarines, new support vessels, new ‘trash haulers’, the supply and replenishment hulls so necessary for the ships, have been delivered. The Kruiser Moskau has just about finished his overhaul, done here in Sevastopol, and according to news he is ready to start operations by the end of this month. Heavy reinforcement of the land based naval contingents and even more so with army and air defense troops and units. One could say today that Sevastopol and Krimea are as heavily defended as Moskau, St. Pete and Kaliningrad. Significant numbers of new hulls have also gone to the other half of the Black Sea Flot in Novorossisk on the east coast of the Sea. Bottom line, Black Sea is even more of a Russian Lake than before Krim coming home.
The Flot exercises yesterday were clearly audible at times in our little valley two klicks and one very high ridge line from the Sea. It is a deep source of pride for those living in Sevastopol to have our Flot here and even our Summer Plague, tourists, are impressed with the numbers of Navy, VDV and Army troops roaming the city in their summer uniforms, and their unfailing polite demeanor. Proud we are, indeed!
Auslander
Author
Sevastopol, The Third Defense, Book 1, A Premonition, paperback edition. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1698430825 Set against a backdrop of real events and real places, the reader is left to filter fact from fiction.
An Incident On Simonka paperback edition. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1696160715 NATO Is Invited To Leave Sevastopol, One Way Or The Other.
Excellent resolve. The swift action taken 6 years ago by the polite men in green has paid off — and how!
Illegal annexations are in the eye of the beholder.
During WW II the U.S. Navy, for a time, was divided and less than effective. It has not to my knowledge actively addressed the issue – even to date. It matters not whether Russian sea power is blue or green. One ship visiting around the world will produce goodwill if it is Russian or grinding hatred if American. The goodwill is key.
WATCH Russia’s hypersonic Kinzhal missile IN ACTION during large-scale drills in the Black Sea (VIDEO)
https://www.rt.com/russia/477934-hypersonic-kinzhal-missile-drills/
” Russia’s cutting-edge, air-launched Kinzhal cruise missile has been spotted during massive military drills in the Black Sea, which also featured other missile weaponry, including the trusted Kalibr cruise missiles.
The footage, showing a MiG-31K fighter jet carrying a hypersonic Kinzhal missile, was released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday. The aircraft deploys the munition, which is seen free-falling for a few moments. The missile then shoots off a shroud from its engines and blasts away.
https://youtu.be/RyMea4DbglU
So far, the missiles have been mounted on a modified variant of the iconic long-range interceptor – the MiG-31k (K for Kinzhal). The munitions are expected to be fitted on other platforms as well, namely the Tu-22M3 long-range bomber, as well as the fifth-gen Su-57 fighter jets. While the cutting-edge fighter is likely to carry a single Kinzhal, the Tu-22M3s are expected to carry up to four bulky munitions.”