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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: Russia Just Got the Tools to 'Blind' Nosey NATO Reconnaissance Planes in Syria SPUTNICK... Last week, NATO announced that it had begun tracking the movement of Russian military aircraft operating in Syria using AWACS reconnaissance planes operating from Turkish bases. But as luck would have it, Russia has just received all the tools it needs to neutralize the alliance's snooping. In late September, NATO announced that a fleet of 16 Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) aircraft would be sent to Turkey, ostensibly to help the alliance's ongoing efforts against the Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) terrorists. A month later, the alliance confirmed that the aircraft had been deployed, and that they started their surveillance of Syrian airspace beginning October 20. NATO stressed that the planes are being flown only over international airspace or over Turkey, and will not enter Syrian airspace. Nevertheless, their presence will give them the theoretical capability to monitor aircraft flying over much of Syria. The systems aboard the 16 Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft allow them to detect targets flying at low altitudes from distances of up to 400 km, and from distances between 450 and 650 km for planes flying at medium and high altitudes. In other words, hypothetically speaking, they can easily detect aircraft operating in Syria without ever crossing the border. An E-3 Sentry with the US Air Force © Flickr/ Airman Magazine An E-3 Sentry with the US Air Force Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS. © Flickr/ Archangel12 US Air Force Command Apologizes for US Planes Flying Close to Russian Jets Over Syria - Russian MoD The E-3s were deployed to Turkey at Ankara's request, and following a formal decision at the NATO summit in Warsaw in July. The aircraft have been placed at an air base in the central Turkish province of Konya. Moscow obviously hasn't been fooled by alliance claims that the planes were deployed to fight the terrorists. Experts have previously pointed out Daesh has no air force, adding that AWACS aircraft in the area are obviously directed against the Syrian Air Force and the Russian air group operating in Syria. In fact, despite the formal talk of an 'anti-Daesh' deployment, RAF Air Commander Paddy Teakle came out and openly admitted that the planes will be used to spy on Russian and Syrian jets. "I will not deny that the AWACS will monitor the Russian air forces in Syria, and the air forces of Bashar al-Assad, from Turkish territory; given their range, the radars can monitor territory in Syria and Iraq. But this is not our only goal," Teakle said. As luck would have it, the Russian Ministry of Defense has already worked out a response – installing electronic warfare equipment to the tried and tested Ilyushin Il-22 platform. The new Il-22PP 'Porubshchik' (roughly 'Lumberjack') electronic warfare and reconnaissance system passed state testing in September. One Il-22PP aircraft was handed over to the air force, with two more expected to be delivered later this month. The Il-22PP. Note the 'pockets' sticking out of the fuselage, containing electronic warfare equipment © Photo: Anton Gromov The Il-22PP. Note the 'pockets' sticking out of the fuselage, containing electronic warfare equipment According to the system's designers, the plane's onboard electronics are specifically designed to counter modern AWACS systems, ground-based air defense (such as the MIM-104 Patriot missile system) and manned and unmanned aircraft. A 'Tornado' aircraft ' of the German Air Force photographed at the airbase in Jagel, Germany © AP Photo/ Carsten Rehder Vorsprung Durch Technical Fault: Dodgy German Jets Forced Into Landing in Iraq The Il-22PP features frequency selectivity, meaning that it will not jam friendly radio electronic systems. Its carrier, a modernized, four-engine Il-22, has a range of up to 6,500 km at altitudes of 8,800 meters and a speed of up to 685 km/h. In addition to jamming capabilities, the planes are capable of conducting electronic intelligence operations of their own, and of protecting friendly aircraft from enemy electronic warfare. underside view of the Il-22PP © Photo: Yury Stepanov underside view of the Il-22PP The new Il-22PPs will soon be complemented by the Tu-214R, a completely new design, equipped with cutting-edge optical, electronic and radar systems. In August, the Defense Ministry confirmed that a Tu-214R had undergone testing in Syria. That aircraft is itself intended to replace the Ilyushin Il-20M electronic intelligence (ELINT) aircraft, but is capable of multitasking. Tupolev Tu-214R © Photo: Wikipedia/Rimma Sadykova Russia's State-of-the-art Tu-214R Spy Plane Successfully Passes Syria Test The Tu-214R's capabilities include ELINT, signals intelligence (SIGINT) and communications intelligence (COMINT). The plane's antennae are capable of intercepting signals emitted by everything from aircraft to combat vehicles and mobile phones, and can build an electronic order of battle (EOB). The Tu-214R has been undergoing extensive state testing all this year. In other words, just as NATO decided to deploy over a dozen AWACS planes in Turkey to keep an eye on Syria, Russia rolled out several new aircraft allowing Moscow to jam NATO intelligence gathering operations at the flick of a switch. And that's not even counting the jamming capabilities of ground-based systems already deployed. Whether Russia decides to use this equipment selectively or on a mass scale remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: NATO officials probably won't be the ones to admit that their surveillance operation in Syria isn't gathering as much useful info as they hoped they would get. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
https://www.rt.com/news/364666-us-apologizes-syria-flyby/ US Air Force command apologized for close fly-by in Syria — Russian MoD Published time: 29 Oct, 2016 14:34 American military officials have offered apologies to their Russian colleagues for an incident over Syria, in which US and Russian military jets were involved in a "near-miss" situation. Earlier, Washington shifted the blame to Moscow for the incident. Representatives of the US Air Force Central Command have promised their Russian counterparts to take measures and address the issue with American pilots so that incidents like this do not happen in the future, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov announced on Saturday. The Russian ministry had to comment on the incident that happened on October 17 in Syria, as officials "were surprised with yet another attempt of the American military command to shift the blame [to] Russia's Air Force" for the near miss involving a US Boeing E-3 Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS) with Russian Su-35 bomber. Konashenkov blamed the crew of the AWACS plane for violating the flight security rules near the city of Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria. The American aircraft went down almost a kilometer (0.62 miles) from its flight level and "dangerously" approached the Russian Su-35 fighter jet by less than 500 meters. In accordance with Russia-US agreements in Syria, the Russian command had informed their American counterparts on the Su-35 flight in the area in advance, having provided them with the "exact flight level," the official explained. Following the incident, it was Moscow who contacted US officials and asked for explanations regarding the matter. Despite the dangerous fly-by, the Defense Ministry said it believed that the incident “in general” proved that sufficient cooperation had been established between the Russian and American military in Syria. On Friday, the commander of US Air Force Central Command, Lieutenant General Jeffrey Harrigian, said that the two aircraft in Syria — both flying without lights on — had been involved in a "near miss," adding that the Russian pilot probably didn't see the US plane in the dark. The US official claimed that cases like the October 17 incident are generally "not a big deal," but "it’s important to recognize this one got our attention."
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