Source: Extract from infographic – Offiziere.ch
Source: Extract from infographic – Offiziere.ch
Latest information is that the Russian fleet off the coast of Syria is going to carry out military strikes in the Aleppo region including seaborne missiles launches. This is not surprising since the main elements of the Russian Navy force have at last converged off Cyprus & Syria. The Kuznetsov carrier has been on the receiving end of a lot of trolling, mocking all the way to the Syrian shores It has taken a while to finally get the vital naval pieces into place, much of it to howls of protest from NATO and the MSM.
It is doubtful that the air strikes against the rebels will be carrier launched, largely due to the ski jump configuration that hinders the launching of fully laden aircraft, but SU-33s have already been reported in the skies above Syria, either probably on Combat Air Patrols, or more than likely having relocated to the main airbase at Khmeimim, supplementing the air assets there. If indeed true, it will nevertheless be the first combat air sortie in 25 years for the Kuznetsov’s air wing! Much less fuss has been made in the MSM & politically on the role of the Black & Caspian Sea fleets,which have already used Kalibrs in anger in 2015 & this year. Interestingly, 100 Kalibr & Onix missiles were ordered by the Russian Ministry of Defense in the 3rd quarter of 2016. (TASS 21 Oct). The destroyer, Smetlivy is also reported to have joined the fleet, after a Greek stopover, where sailors got to see the sights of Athens. Whereas Spain & Malta snubbed the Russian Navy, Greece welcomes them with open arms.
At the beginning of November, the naval auxiliary, Prof. Nikolay Muru left Sevastopol along with the missile frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich, the only surface ship carrying Kalibrs in the eastern Mediterranean. The Prof. Nikolay Muru is a Search & Rescue (SAR) ship, also capable of underwater operations & has Dynamic Positioning System (DPS); it’s one of two vessels that frequently use AIS and as such trackable. The other is the Nikolay Chiker, an ocean going tug, which accompanied the Kuznetsov fleet down from Severomorsk. The Chiker is now quite close to Turkey, at the northernmost edge of what appears to be the Russian Navy operational zone. (See diagram for the NOTAM).
Russia’s aircraft carrier group is ready to launch strike on Aleppo in the next 24 hours
Also underway and heading to Syria is the Large Buoy Tender, KIL 158, with a deck cargo of what appears to be two fast ‘Raptor’ patrol craft .
It has a heavy lift crane and also an underwater operations role. You don’t send off such ships far from their homeports for a nice training cruise, so although this might seem at first sight, dull news compared to the deployment of combat ships, it is interesting from a logistical point of view. There is the need to reconfigure the Tartus docks into a viable & safe naval base permanently and as such specialist vessels with diving support capabilities will probably come in handy.
Equally, the arrival of specialist auxiliary ships makes for an intriguing combination, specifically looking at the underwater operations capability. This is especially so when you vector in what the Yantar did last month. The Yantar, a Russian navy oceanographic ship was off Syrian & Lebanese coasts, loitered over areas where there submarine cables linking Cyprus with the Levant & Turkey. My guess is that it was also surveying and checking out the Anti Submarine Warfare sonar arrays ‘toys’ left there by NATO – (US), in preparation for the arrival of the main fleet. Back in October, several UK MSM newspapers reported the deployment of 2 Akula class & 1 Kilo class submarines in the Atlantic. They added that they were joining the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean. So maybe the Yantar was giving the elusive Russian submarine(s?) some more room to maneuver discreetly. At the same time, there was what seemed to be a cat and mouse game taking place between the Russian navy (a sub?) firing missiles and the US Navy sending out an ASW P-8 air patrol the next day in the area. A discreet but vital underwater conflict is taking place off the Syrian coast.
Caption: Map showing the location of the Yantar in relation to submarine cables in the region
Some of the Russian ships took a northerly route past Cyprus, thus completely avoiding the French aircraft-carrier group and the busy airspace used by the RAF and ISF aircraft. Just by looking at the NOTAM map for Cyprus shows this crowded airspace). There are still NATO/US ships lurking in the area, probably keeping tabs on the Russians. One, off Crete, was the USNS Mary Sears (T AGS 65), an oceanographic ship, with sonar, underwater metal detection & satellite imagery capabilities, approximately in the same mould as the Yantar. The Yantar is now going to Iran and maybe will cause some ASW mischief making there. The latest ‘watcher’ is the Spanish navy tanker, the Cantabria, (A 15), and before that it was the turn of the Danish warship HMDS Absalon off Crete. The US naval oiler Leroy Grumman is also deployed in the area and it appears to be replenishing the French carrier group.
The latest news in is that there was a ‘brief encounter’ between the Kuznetsov escorts and a Dutch NATO submarine. (SPUTNIK news 9 Nov) Supposedly for a top notch hyper silent submarine, the Dutch Walrus class diesel- electric submarine was detected by the Severomorsk & the Vice-Adm Kulakov.
In other news, the Russian naval “Syrian Express” is still providing a much needed military supply shuttle service. In what is probably the oddest naval movement was that of a tug SB 5 towing a barge, that went through the Bosphorus twice in less than 30 hours, a record breaking transit. The barge looked like a mooring pontoon for one of the big combat ships or for the Kuznetsov. The naval logistical & combat support operations is a underrated but vital aspect of the Russian military campaign in Syria.
P.S. Rumor has it that the Dutch sub detected is the Walrus, since it visited Valletta, Malta back in September.
All sources are OSINT; usually cross checked.
Thank you for your time,
LeDahu
Comprehensive report thank you.
The Russian Navy is going to have to install better engines in their warships . With all those sea going Tugs the problem is obviously still persisting . Why would they send four tankers with such a modest strike group . 099 has a nuclear drive system that leaves the Kuznetsov with a rather small fighter group ,two Destroyers and one Frigate . Are the Russians planning to transfer the bulk of this fuel to the Syrian mainland for a possible large offensive?
“The Russian Navy is going to have to install better engines in their warships ”
Why? So the Russians don’t have to put up with snark from the Anglo-Zionists? It’s not as if they have to sail round the world at a moments notice to keep the natives down for the sake of Empire. Maybe they should also spend billions making their crude but effective bombs look as slick and snazzy as those made at enormous profit by the US MIC?
due to obvious necessity of noninterrupted fuel to r fleet warships even nato admirals may realize the fleet oilers are a prime target. get it now?
The issue of engines is related to the age of build.
It is Russian Navy protocol to have tugs escorts.
In addition there 3 NATO oilers in the area as well. It’s called not taking chances.
Some great info about the Kuznetsov:
http://stalkerzone.org/goodies-deck-admiral-kuznetsov-await-moderate-isis-militants-syria/
The upgrades to T-4 west of Palmyra should be completed soon. Once that is done, RuAF and SAAF aircraft will move there to take on Raqqa and Deir ez Zor. S-300s located there will give coverage of all Syria apart from the very north-eastern-most tip bordering where the borders of Syria, Turkey, and Iraq converge.
LeDahu here
Could let me have some links to the info, as it is of interest. Thank you
The Kuznetsov also carries a complement of Granit ‘Shipwreck’ anti-ship missiles which are nuclear-capable and can travel up to Mach 2.5 with a range of 600 km. They could do a lot of damage to any NATO surface vessel within range.
“The naval logistical & combat support operations is a underrated but vital aspect of the Russian military campaign in Syria.”
Amateurs worry about hardware. Professionals worry about logistics. Just look at all the desktop generals whining about the lack of front line attacks during the takfiri breakthrough in south Aleppo earlier this year. The Russians were letting the takfiris expose their supply routes and bombing the shit out of them. That bore fruit in the total failure of the recent attacks against west Aleppo.
An-30B and Tu-124 sigint aircraft observed flying over SYria in the last few days
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CwmQvbKWQAAbyr3.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CwwWVvUWQAA_8Ud.jpg
We know if you have been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.
Thanks for the update.
“It is doubtful that the air strikes against the rebels will be carrier launched, largely due to the ski jump configuration that hinders the launching of fully laden aircraft.”
The Su-33 are mainly for cap, the new MiGs are there for testing. The cruiser-carrier brought along some the new attack helicopters originally destined for the french ships and had been modified to operate them. So likely she will test ops out with these.
“At the beginning of November, the naval auxiliary, Prof. Nikolay Muru left Sevastopol along with the missile frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich, the only surface ship carrying Kalibrs in the eastern Mediterranean.”
What about the Caspian and Black Sea fleet ships? Did they return to the Black Sea?
Indeed this is the case, the helicopters will be certainly testing out new weaponary as well. But to do this effectively, they would also need to relocate from the carrier to be nearer to the action.
The majority of both Black & Caspian Sea fleets are still in their areas. We’ll probably see in the next couple of weeks if they again launch missile strikes against the terrorists.
Thanks again, LeDahu.
Ne za shto. I try to be the naval info news aggregator. If any newsworthy info passes your desk, then please drop it here in the comments for the next briefing.
Thank you
LeDahu
Aircraft of Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov Carrier Group Start Flights
https://sputniknews.com/military/201611121047374462-admiral-kuznetsov-aviation/
“They jets are practicing interaction with one of the coastal airfields, he added.
“The flights are conducted from the deck of the aircraft-carrying heavy cruiser, interaction with a coastal airfield is being worked out. The flights have been carried out almost on a daily basis for four days,” Captain 1st Rank Artamonov told Vesti v Subbotu news program on Rossiya-1 TV channel.”
Confirms that the aircraft will be based on an air field in western Syria at least some of the time.
Thank you.
Is it just me? I get the impression that the English translation provided is stilted re this TV interview?
So the carrier pilots are getting in carrier flight time and training, as well as combat experience in Combat Air Patrols & reccon flights. Thus giving ample opportunity for naval pilots & crews to catch up on their army & airforce counterparts. Ultimately this will all be fed back into the doctrine and modernisation program.
Translations are often like that at Sputnik, sometimes much worse.
“The Su-33 are mainly for cap”?
You must mean the SU-25? SU-33 me knowingly is an air superiority fighter designated for fleet protection against enemy aviation.
No he means Su33, look at a typical image of the Kuznetsov and you might see the 2 QRA sukhois ready with AAMs lashed down on the deck.
D
CAP (combat air patrol) was the designed role of the Su-33. CAP is defensive fighter operations. The Su-25 is a ground attack aircraft and not designed for air to air combat. Perhaps you might have mean’t the Yak-25, the aircraft the AK was originally designed to use (hence the ski jump)? I believe the Yak-25 was retired and the Su-33 was designed as it’s interim replacement till a more specialised shipboard fighter was developed.
Oops, senile moment. That should have been Yak-35, a VTOL/STOL aircraft from the 80s, not Yak-25, an aircraft from the 1950s.
Quote: SU-33s have already been reported in the skies above Syria, either probably on Combat Air Patrols ??
Question: Is it to enforce Hillarious NO FLY ZONE over Syria ??
“Question: Is it to enforce Hillarious NO FLY ZONE over Syria ??”
Question: the no fly zone your people had clinton insist on?
A naval operation is not required for the land based anti terrorist operation in Syria. Smart bombs – satellite/laser guided bombs are cheaper than cruise missiles.
I read a week or two ago that Russian navy had lifted US/NATO listening/detection devices from the sea floor off Syria.
” A discreet but vital underwater conflict is taking place off the Syrian coast.”……
I read some time ago that one of the reasons the US attacked Syria, apart from pipelines and lebensraum for the genocidal genocide victims , was that Russia and Syria where in negotiations for Russia to set up a fully fledged naval base at Tartus. Apparently this has now been signed off on?
A full base would include full air and sea defences. Land based anti ship missiles at Tartus would allow Russia to control a large chunk off the Mediterranean.
Perhaps this is what the naval deployment is about?
Indeed this move to have a permanent naval base has been signed off according to the Russian media. It will need some refurbishment to make it viable though.
The Saker has two very good articles which will answer your question:
/making-sense-of-the-russian-naval-task-force-off-the-coast-of-syria/
/russia-calls-the-war-partys-bluff/
Enjoy
Thanks Rucca. I reread the articles plus the Mercouris article at the Duran but none give a really solid reason for the naval deployment. Perhaps they will just loiter in the area for a while as a deterrence against some of the more stupid US plans, but from what I have been reading lately, Russia seems to be creating a total security zone in coastal Syria – underwater, surface and air, so perhaps securing the area in preparation for building a secure heavily defended naval base at Tartus is the primary task, and deterrence against possible direct US attacks on Syria a secondary or additional task?
An additional thought – A naval base suited to submarines at Tartas would make a lot of sense as any Russian subs entering the Mediterranean would be detected at the choke point entrances and possibly tracked from there.
With a base at Tartas, the subs would not have to pass through the choke points.
Bingo… you’ve got it there, but we’ll wait and see how this pans out re the expansion of the naval base at Tartus.
There is a lot to say about putting submarine presence in the eastern Med, what with the straits of Gibraltar and the Bosporous as NATO choke points. Hence the discreet yet highly visible preparations by ships such as the Yantar.
This period of uncertainty between now and Jan is highly anxious since the elite are in a state of flux with the US elections results. What meddling and plots are being hatched? Who knows?
According to Marinetraffick the Northern flotilla has been positioned between the northern tip of Cyprus and Turkey for three days, since they arrived there from a previous idle position off Crete.
Early this night however (gmt) they began moving in the lattakia direction.
Not necessarily the case, since only the Chiker has AIS, doesn’t mean the rest of the fleet is there. The idea with AIS is to spot the tracking NATO warships shadowing the combat ships, when they do use AIS.
The tracking will be more underwater, as evidenced by the Dutch sub incident.
It seems the dying regime in the US has got their Kiev stooges to try and strike at Crimea “again”. As I said weeks ago,as long as the junta remains in Ukraine ,Crimea can never be sure of safety:
https://www.rt.com/news/366192-ukrainian-commandos-attacks-crimea/
I can confirm there was a good sized action performed by FSB amongst other armed entities of Russia. Until more details are publicly released all I can do is confirm and to the best of my knowledge none of the good guys was hurt. Don’t know about 404 boys.
Auslander
Author Never The Last One https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZGCY8KK
An Incident On Simonka https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ERKH3IU
If Ukraine attacks crimea isn’t that the same as attacking Moscow? Both are Russia? Would it not be in Russia’s right to return the favor?
Yes, if 404 does an overt attack on Krimu then the response will be the same as to an attack Moskau or St. Petersburg to quote President Putin. However, a clandestine group planning an attack can always be denied and accused of misguidedly acting on their own. Since no attack actually occurred then one could possibly imagine that the response to 404 will be equally clandestine but well known to those who should know.
Auslander
Author Never The Last One https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZGCY8KK
An Incident On Simonka https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ERKH3IU
Rights are not the same as strategy. The condition was been W3.0 since Kiev. The effort is to try to prevent W3.1 et sec…ie nukewar.
The UAF are not exactly the world’s strongest or most professional fighting force. Given that, they have better chances attacking along an extended front, such as the one with Donbass, where their great numerical advantage can be used to some effect.
Trying to attack Crimea is just simply ridiculous. It’s rather like trying to force the Pass of Thermopylae, if it were filled with bogs and marshes. Moreover, I am sure the Russian authorities have made sure it is thoroughly monitored by various electronic devices, so that “not a sparrow falls” without their knowing it.
Here is how the incident with the Dutch sub came in the Dutch press:
http://www.elsevier.nl/nederland/achtergrond/2016/11/rusland-verjaagt-onhandige-nederlandse-onderzeeer-399603/
Below the translation (a slightly edited Google translation):
Russia dispels ‘clumsy’ Dutch submarine
Russian ships to the Mediterranean chased a Dutch submarine away. The submarine made according to the Russians “very awkward movements” near the ships. This was reported by the Russian Defense Ministry over the private news agency Interfax.
Minister Hennis doesn’t agree with ‘Russian rhetoric’
According to the Russian Defense Ministry NATO ships try to monitor the movements of the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean. The Russian fleet including the aircraft carrier Koetzetsov is in the area in connection with the Russian operations in Syria where they give military aid to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Western countries on the other hand stand there at the side of the armed militias.
,, It does not seem wise to go along with the Russian rhetoric, “responded Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert of Defense. She doesn’t want to make any further statements about submarine operations.
D66 MP Sjoerd Sjoerdsma wants clarification on the possible incident. He has asked parliamentary questions. “It’s not the first time that Russia tries to intimidate EU allies or the Netherlands. Such skirmishes, harassment and intimidation, we are now seeing increasingly from Putin, bring me great concern. It increases the risk of an unintended escalation.”
He refers in particular to the Russian pressure on the Baltic States, and several incidents involving Russian aircraft close to European territory.
“Inept movements’
According to the Russian Ministry the submarine was first spotted at a 20 kilometers distance. After an hour, the Dutch were expelled, said spokesman Igor Konashenkov about the incident.
“Such clumsy and awkward attempts to maneuver near the Russian ships could have led to serious accidents.” He added that these submarines are not at all suited for reconnaissance expeditions. He denounces the “NATO espionage” that the submarines according to him perform.
Not all navies have such ASW discipline…http://www.cbsnews.com/news/chinese-sub-came-close-to-us-ships/
The Kitty Hawk, no less! The CBS article ignores that no carrier ever leaves port without ASW in operation, never, period.
Ivan did good! So did the Chinese, some time back.
I am minded of the lesson said to be taught to USN Commanders: “When in danger or in doubt, steam in circles, toot, and shout!”
The Dutchman just lost his chance at admiral…
No doubt the Russian military hopes they do not have to use any of their missiles because the “moderate rebels” will have seen the light of sweet reason and evacuated via the offered safe corridors unto the bosom of their Daesh comrades in the direction of the Turkish border before Russia’s ships drop anchor. Our peacenik President Obomber, of course, hopes the “moderates” hang tough to thwart whatever it is that the Russians have planned. I just hope that President-elect Trump was not implanted with a mind-altering chip or replaced by a pod person during his lengthy visit with Obomber on Thursday. Hopefully, Obomber does not try to saddle him with a glorious little war before he gets to be sworn in.