Russian Defence Chief takes aim at U.S.

Video Presentation: http://www.russiatoday.ru/news/news/16871/video

2007

The United States will definitely aim its planned anti-missile shield at Russia eventually, according to Russia’s highest military official, Yury Baluevsky. It comes ahead of a key meeting between NATO and Russia. Baluevsky, as Chief of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff, will head to Brussels on Tuesday to take part in the NATO meeting. Before leaving, Baluevsky gave an interview to Russia Today in which he discussed the U.S. plans for an anti-missile shield in eastern Europe. “As I suppose, someone in the United States still has a desire, mildly speaking, to solve the current problems using the existing U.S. weapons. But to solve these problems in such a way, one needs to get full information that the use of these weapons won’t cause a counterstrike,” he said. “And once deployed in Europe, it [anti-missile shield] won’t be aimed at Iran. Because why deploy a system against some alleged Iranian system that doesn’t exist? But there’s a system in Russia. And in case by 2011, and by 2011 the Americans are planning to deploy the radar and by 2012, 2013 - the antimissiles - those antimissiles and that radar will be definitely aimed at Russia”.

Source: http://www.russiatoday.ru/news/news/16871

Military chief says Russia not obliged to protect world from U.S.

Yury Baluyevsky, the chief of Russia's general staff, said in an interview with the Russia Today TV channel on Tuesday that the Russian Armed Forces were under no obligation to protect the world from the U.S. Answering a question as to whether or not the world could count on Russia to defend it from "insidious American plans," Baluyevsky replied, "Today, there is no need to be afraid of the Russian Armed Forces. However, I do not believe that the Russian military is obliged to defend the world from the evil Americans". Gen. Yury Baluyevsky is flying to Brussels later today to discuss with NATO chiefs of staff, among other things, Russia's suspension of its Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty obligations. Baluyevsky said last Thursday that Russia would no longer be bound by current weapons and equipment limitations after its moratorium on the CFE Treaty comes into force. The State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, voted on November 7 in favor of President Putin's bill to impose a moratorium on the CFE Treaty. The moratorium is set to come into effect on December 12, after final approval by the upper house of parliament, expected to vote on the issue on November 16, and President Vladimir Putin. The chief of Russia's military general staff also told the Russia Today TV channel that the CFE Treaty put Russia at a disadvantage. "It was an onerous treaty for Russia. It was a treaty that Russia alone honored," he said. Asked why Russia had signed the document in the first place, Baluyevsky said that at the time, in 1990, the goal was to avert a war, and the treaty effectively served its purpose. He also said Russia's Armed Forces, like all militaries in the world, would be putting an emphasis on quality, not quantity. "It will be a leaner but meaner, well trained and equipped, and professional force," the general said.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20071113/87814389.html

Russia warns of Belarus missiles

Russia could place missiles in neighbouring Belarus to counter a planned US missile defence system, a senior Russian general has said. Col-Gen Vladimir Zaritsky spoke after Belarus, a close ally of Russia, said it would re-equip its forces with new Russian Iskander short-range missiles. Russia says the US plan to site parts of a missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic is a threat. The US says it is needed to counter missiles fired by states such as Iran. "Any action must have a counter-action, including with the US anti-missile elements in the Czech Republic and Poland," Gen Zaritsky was quoted as saying by Russia's Itar-Tass news agency. Gen Zaritsky is the commander of Russia's artillery and rocket forces.

Russia could place missiles in neighbouring Belarus to counter a planned US missile defence system, a senior Russian general has said. Col-Gen Vladimir Zaritsky spoke after Belarus, a close ally of Russia, said it would re-equip its forces with new Russian Iskander short-range missiles. Russia says the US plan to site parts of a missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic is a threat. The US says it is needed to counter missiles fired by states such as Iran. "Any action must have a counter-action, including with the US anti-missile elements in the Czech Republic and Poland," Gen Zaritsky was quoted as saying by Russia's Itar-Tass news agency. Gen Zaritsky is the commander of Russia's artillery and rocket forces.

'Battle of words'

The US missile shield system would see a radar site set up in the Czech Republic and a base in Poland for 10 missile interceptors. The chief of staff of Russia's armed forces, Gen Yury Baluyevsky, said on Tuesday that Iran posed no missile threat to Europe or the US and that the missile defence plan would be aimed at Russia. The US has said that the limited system it proposes could not threaten Russia's own missile arsenal. Belarus says it will buy Russia's Iskander-E conventional missile system by 2020. Gen Zaritsky's comments are a new stratagem in bitter battle of words between the US and Russia, says the BBC's James Rodgers in Moscow. In October, US President George W Bush said: "The need for missile defence in Europe is real and I believe it's urgent." He warned that Iran could have a ballistic missile capable of reaching Europe or the US by 2015. A few days later, Russian President Vladimir Putin compared the US plans to the missile crisis of 1962, which saw the US and the Soviet Union go to the brink of nuclear war over Russian missiles in Cuba.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7094347.stm

Russia to compensate for INF losses with Iskander missile system

The deployment of the new Iskander tactical missile systems will close the missile coverage gap caused by Russia's participation in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a senior commander said. Russia's short-range Oka tactical missile system was scrapped under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. "We used to have the Oka, which has been scrapped, and for a long time we had a gap in missile coverage in the range of 300-500 kilometers [190-310 miles]," Colonel General Vladimir Zaritsky, commander of the Russian Missile and Artillery Troops, said on Wednesday. The Iskander-M (NATO reporting name SS-26 Stone) missile system, largely considered a successor to the Oka, has a range of 400 km (250 miles) and can reportedly carry conventional and nuclear warheads. Russia is planning to equip at least five missile brigades with Iskander-M complexes by 2016. So far, a missile battalion on combat duty in the North Caucasus military district has been fully equipped with Iskander-M, and another battalion will receive the system in 2008.

INF LEGACY

The former Soviet Union and the U.S. signed the INF Treaty on December 8, 1987. The agreement came into force in June 1988 and does not have a specific duration. The pact banned nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (300 to 3,400 miles). By the treaty's deadline of June 1, 1991, a total of 2,692 weapons had been destroyed, 846 by the U.S. and 1,846 by the Soviet Union.

The document strongly favored the U.S., as many treaty provisions, such as considering Soviet RSD-10 Pioneer (NATO reporting name SS-23 Spider) multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) missiles to be equivalent to single-warhead Pershing II systems, allowed NATO to regain strategic nuclear superiority over Russia in Europe. The Oka short-range tactical missile system (NATO reporting SS-23 Spider), which was also destroyed under the INF treaty, technically did not fall into the category of missile systems slated for scrapping, since the maximum range of its missile did not exceed 450 km (280 miles).

Nonetheless, the Americans insisted that the Oka be included on the list of systems subject to elimination. On February 10, 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the INF Treaty no longer served Russia's interests. On February 14, Gen. Yury Baluyevsky, the chief of the Russian General Staff, said Russia could pull out of the INF unilaterally, sounding a strong warning to the U.S. regarding its plans to deploy elements of its anti-missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic. Putin expanded on his arguments favoring Russia's potential withdrawal from the INF treaty in October by saying Russia could pull out of the U.S.-Russian arms reductions agreement, unless it was extended to impose restrictions on other countries as well.

INF TREATY AND MODERNIZATION OF ISKANDER

Zaritsky also said on Wednesday that the Iskander missile system could be modernized and its range extended, if Russia finally withdrew from the INF treaty. "The current version of Iskander is in full compliance with the INF treaty, but should the Russian leadership decide to pull out of the agreement, we will immediately enhance the capabilities of the system, including its range," the general said. The flight range of a new cruise missile adapted for Iskander and successfully tested in May 2007 could exceed 500 km (310 miles). "The tests will continue until 2009," the official said. "So far they have been very successful."

POSSIBLE BELARUS DEAL

Zaritsky said Russia may also deliver an export version of the Iskander system (Iskander-E) to Belarus as a response to U.S. missile shield plans in Central Europe. "Any action triggers a counteraction, the same is true for the deployment of the U.S. missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland," the general said. Washington wants to place a radar in the Czech Republic and 10 missile interceptors in Poland, purportedly to counter a missile threat from Iran and other "rogue" states. Moscow has responded angrily to the plans, saying the European shield would destroy the strategic balance of forces and threaten Russia's national interests.

Russia and Belarus, which maintained close political and economic ties since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1991, have been in talks for several years on the delivery of Iskander-E complexes to equip at least one Belarus missile brigade by 2015. With its maximum range of 280 km (about 180 miles), Iskander-E's range is likely to cover U.S. missile defense facilities in Poland, which borders on Belarus. Zaritsky reiterated that the Iskander deal could be possible under certain conditions and with the corresponding agreement of Belarus.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20071114/88066432.html

Russia CFE moratorium to kick in on Dec. 12 - military chief

A moratorium on Russia's Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty obligations will take effect on December 12, the chief of the Armed Forces General Staff said on Wednesday. "There will be no changes to Russia's position: The law will come into force as it should, on December 12," Gen. Yury Baluyevsky said. Russia has repeatedly urged its NATO colleagues to ratify the CFE Treaty and then amend it to eliminate flank limitations, he said. Baluyevsky said last Thursday that Russia would no longer be bound by current weapons and equipment limitations after its moratorium on the CFE Treaty comes into force. The State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, voted on November 7 in favor of President Putin's bill to impose a moratorium on the CFE Treaty. The moratorium is set to come into effect after final approval by the upper house of parliament, expected to vote on the issue on November 16, and President Vladimir Putin. The chief of the General Staff also said previously the CFE Treaty put Russia at a disadvantage. "It was an onerous treaty for Russia. It was a treaty that Russia alone honored," he said. Asked why Russia had signed the document in the first place, Baluyevsky said that at the time, in 1990, the goal was to avert a war, and the treaty effectively served its purpose. He also said Russia's Armed Forces, like all militaries in the world, would be putting an emphasis on quality, not quantity.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20071114/88118482.html

ISKANDER-E: Missile System Of The 21st Century

The Kolomna Engineering Design Bureau is the leading developer of precision-guided tactical and theater missiles for the Ground Forces. In creative cooperation with leading research and design organizations and plants of the defense industry as well as the Defense Ministry Research Institute, the KBM Engineering Design Bureau has created a number of missile systems (division-level Tochka (SS-21) with a range of up to 70 km, army-level Oka (SS-23) with a range of up to 400 km, corps-level Tochka-U with a range of up to 120 km) that superseded the first generation missile systems of the Ground Forces (9K72 with 8K14-1 liquid-propellant missile, 9K52 with the 9M21unguided solid-propellant missile,ensuring effective engagement only if nuclear-tipped). The particular features of the aforementioned systems are: high accuracy of fire, a short time of readiness for launch, independence of combat assets, a high degree of prelaunch preparation automation and sufficiently high effectiveness of conventional warheads. That was evidently the reason to include the Oka missile system in the Soviet-American treaty on the elimination of their intermediate range and shorter range missiles, although its maximum guaranteed range was only 400 km. The conclusion of the 1987 INF Treaty and the decision not to use theater nuclear weapons set a number of principally new requirements for modern missile systems:

- use of non-nuclear destruction weapons only;

- precise accuracy of fire;

- control throughout the entire flight path;

- broad range of effective warheads;

- availability of battle management automation and information support systems, including preparation of standard information for correction and terminal guidance systems;

- possibility of integration into global satellite navigation systems (GSNSs), such as GLONASS and NAVSTAR;

- ability to engage hardened targets;

- increase in the number of engaged targets per unit of time;

- ability to penetrate air and missile defenses;

- capability to engage moving targets.

To meet the above requirements, the KBM Engineering Design Bureau has created the Iskander-E missile system. The Iskander-E missile system has embodied the best scientific, technical and design achievements in the field of theater missile systems; in terms of its design and high combat effectiveness it is an absolutely new-generation weapon which outperforms existing Scud-B, Tochka-U, Lance, ATACMS, Pluto and other missile systems.

The Iskander-E missile system is designed to engage:

- hostile fire weapons (SAM and missile batteries);

- fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft at parking areas;

- air and missile defense facilities;

- command posts and communications nodes;

- vital pinpoint and area targets;

- critical civilian facilities.

Owing to the implementation of terminal control and guidance methods, control throughout the entire flight path, a broad range of powerful warheads and integration of the onboard control system with various correction and homing systems as well as a high probability of combat mission accomplishment in heavy hostile jamming environments, type targets are engaged by one or two Iskander-E missiles, which in terms of effectiveness is equivalent to the use of a nuclear munition. For the first time in the world a missile system with a firing range not exceeding 300 km is capable of accomplishing all combat missions using conventional warheads and having two missiles on a launcher, which substantially increases the fire power potential of missile units.

Iskander-E missile system's features ensure:

- highly precise and effective engagement of various types of targets;

- possibility of concealed preparation, combat duty and delivery of effective missile strikes;

- automatic computation and input of a missile flying mission by the launcher devices;

- high probability of combat mission accomplishment in heavy hostile jamming environments;

- high probability of trouble-free missile operation during launch preparation and in flight;

- high tactical maneuverability due to cross-country combat vehicles mounted on all-wheel drive, chassis, and strategic mobility owing to transportability of the missile system by all types of transport facilities, including transport aircraft;

- automation of missile unit battle management, immediate processing of intelligence data and their dissemination to appropriate command levels;

- long service life and ease of operation.

In terms of performance characteristics, the Iskander-E missile fully complies with the provisions of the missile technology non-proliferation agreement. This is a deterrent weapon for local conflicts and a strategic weapon for countries with limited living space. A long firing range, permitting the use of the system from the depth of own troops location, and a short time of stay on a launch site make the system virtually invulnerable to conventional destruction weapons. The research conducted by specialists of leading Russian military research centers has demonstrated that in terms of the effectiveness-cost ratio the Iskander-E missile system outperforms the best foreign counterparts by five to eight times.

The system structure, its control systems, automated battle management and information support make it possible to promptly meet to new requirements without substantial modification of combat assets and, as a result, to guarantee a long lifespan. Provision is made for the modernization of the Iskander-E system to improve the accuracy of missile strike, reduce missile expenditure to one piece per target and adapt the system to the transportation and electronic facilities of a potential customer. Continuous (or periodic) maintenance of system components by highly qualified Russian specialists is also possible.

The composition of the missile system makes it possible to ensure the full cycle of its combat employment, including battle management, information support, maintenance, and crew training, without additional expenditures. The composition can be specified in a contract in compliance with customer's requirements. In addition, at foreign customer' request, missiles can be outfitted with various warheads. In terms of the attained combat potential level, the Iskander-E missile system, which is at the final stage of flight tests, is unrivaled in the world and is a 21st century weapon.

Source: http://www.enemyforces.com/missiles/iskander.htm