Rusi v Siriji

Citat:
Over the last half decade, the Assad regime has been slammed for dropping crude “barrel bombs” from holds of transport helicopters over densely populated areas, a tactic that has killed scores of innocent Syrian civilians. In effect, this is just area bombing a populace for psychological purposes.

Yet Russia seems to be doing largely the same, albeit with production munitions, from their attack helicopters, and to some degree, from their fixed-wing attack jets.

After reviewing videos of helicopter bombing runs in Syria, it appears that they are not even using accuracy-enhancing maneuvering techniques, such as dive or toss bombing, when releasing these munitions. Hind attack helicopters, which are a decently precise weapons platform, are simply dropping dumb bombs over populated areas. As you can see in the videos above, even at low altitude, this can result in bombs landing very far apart.

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When precision is not an option, such as when a foreign power decides to fight someone else’s war on the cheap, brute unguided bombing is the alternative. What could be destroyed with a single anti-tank missile, keeping civilian casualties and physical destruction of property to a relative minimum, is instead done using a barrage of 250 kg bombs lobbed in hopes of finding the intended target.

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Much media attention has been given to Russia’s air war in Syria. Indeed it has been quite the spectacle, but the press needs to come to their senses when it comes to Russia’s true air combat capabilities. Even their most advanced aircraft, such as the Su-34 Fullback, has been seen loaded with general purpose dumb bombs more than anything else.

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When it comes to all the hype surrounding Russia’s air combat power in Syria, using helicopters to bomb cities is certainly not a sign of a cutting-edge air combat force. In fact, Russia’s Syrian air campaign has more in common with American air combat capabilities of the late 1970s to early 1980s than it does with the present.

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In the end it is telling that Russia will fly 8,000 miles with its most expensive aircraft to operate, then launch million-dollar long-range cruise missiles against targets in a country that they can fly over freely—yet their daily attacks by aircraft based right within that country are made on the cheap with dumb bombs. Everything is about molding public perception, showcasing Russia’s power and marketing their weapons’ capabilities.

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