The export version of the Igla-S with fire-and-forget capability that will be shipped to India can hit targets at a maximum range of 6 km and at an altitude of 3.5 km. The jamming-resistant, all-weather weapon boasts a hit probability of 0.8–0.9. Of the 5,175 missiles and associated equipment sought under the very short-range air defense (VSHORAD) program, 2,315 missiles are to be purchased fully assembled, 1,260 missiles in semi knocked-down form, 1,000 missiles in completely knocked-down form, and another 600 missiles that will be manufactured by the state-owned Bharat Dynamics Ltd. The VSHORAD will be employed in varied terrains and installed on light utility vehicles and ships.

In Russia, the legendary Igla-S is being replaced by the new, interference-immune Verba MANPADS. The system has a heat-seeking, multispectral, optical heating-seeking head (GOS) able to distinguish a locked-on target from decoys and dummies. The all-weather, day-and-night operational MANPADS can hit targets at ranges of 0.5 to 6.5 km and at altitudes of 10 m to 4.5 km. They boast a speed of 500 m per second and can hit approaching targets traveling at 400 m per second or 320 m per second when shooting in pursuit. Eight maneuvering targets can be engaged simultaneously. A high-explosive, 1.5kg fragmentation warhead increases the probability of kill. Compared to the Igla-S, the Verba enjoys an engagement envelope that is 150% larger, plus ten times the protection from high-power flares. India, Algeria, and Egypt are included on the list of potential buyers. The Igla-S and Verba offer proof that Russia is the global leader in portable MANPADS technology. It’s no wonder it won the Indian tender.

In October, Moscow and New Delhi signed a $5.2 billion deal to purchase the Russian-made S-400 Triumf air-defense system. Over a dozen nations have expressed interest in buying the Triumf, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Morocco, Egypt, Vietnam, and Iraq. China is one of the latest recipients and Turkey has already signed a contract. Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tried to talk India out of the S-400 deal during the 2+2 talks. That didn’t fly.

Also in October, India signed a $950-million deal to purchase two Admiral Grigorovich-class (Project 11356) stealth frigates from Russia. Negotiations over price and transfer of technology are underway for two more ships of this class that will be built in the Goa Shipyard. The warships will be outfitted with the BrahMos supersonic cruise-missile system, a joint project between Russia and India. The production of Russian Ка-226 helicopters is also on their agenda. About 60% of the defense equipment used by the Indian defense forces is of Russian origin. The Russian weapons and equipment in India’s inventory must be either maintained with purchased spare parts or modernized with Russia’s help. The Indian army badly needs light tanks that can be used in mountainous terrain. Russia can offer its 2S25 Sprut-SD self-propelled tank destroyer, which is classed as a light tank and can operate in the mountains.

Defying the US sanctions, all these deals further strengthen their “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership,” making India Russia’s leading partner in military cooperation. It has been announced that payments under the S-400 deal will be made in the national currencies, not US dollars. The countries might use the Singapore dollar or the currency of some other third country for their transactions. More defense deals will be announced when the Russian and Indian leaders meet in November 2018 on the sidelines of the G20 in Argentina (Nov. 30-Dec. 1).

Promising new avenues exist for bilateral cooperation that go beyond arms deals. During President Vladimir Putin’s latest visit to New Delhi in October, both sides pledged to cooperate on oil and gas projects in Russia, including on Russia’s Arctic shelf and the shores of the Pechora and Okhotsk seas. Their bilateral energy deals are already worth $23 billion. India is expected to make substantial investments in Arctic and other energy holdings. Last summer a large Indian delegation visited Russia’s Far East to study the potential for economic projects there. India and Russia can augment their economic partnership through the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Those two partners can also discuss issues of mutual interest within the framework of groups like RIC (Russia-India-China) and BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa), as well as SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization), without pressure from the West, which cannot change the fact that Russia remains India’s long-standing strategic partner pursuing the shared goal of encouraging a multipolar world. Those countries have an almost 60-year history of military cooperation that ensures that Russia will be an indispensable supplier of defense equipment and weaponry for the foreseeable future.

In service with the Russian Army since 2014, the 9K333 Verba is designed to detect and destroy unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles and other low-flying air targets, such as unmanned aerial vehicles. Today it is used to protect positions of the Russian military personnel monitoring the de-escalation zone.

The 9M336 missile can hit targets at an altitude of 10-4,500 meters (32.8 – 14,763 feet). Operational range: 500 – 6,500 meters (1,640 – 21,325 feet). The 9M336 velocity in flight is 500 meters (1,640 feet) per second. It can hit approaching targets travelling at a speed of 400 meters (1,300 feet) per second. It can also hit targets flying at a speed of 320 meters (1,050 feet) per second when shooting in pursuit. A high-explosive (HE) fragmentation warhead, weighing 1.5 kg (3.30 lb) provides the missile with increased probability of kill. The missile is capable of engaging 8 maneuvering targets simultaneously. Reaction time: 8 seconds.

The system’s full ready-to-shoot weight (including launching unit, SAM and battery) is only 17.25 kg (38 pounds), making the Verba an unbelievably lightweight, user-friendly weapon tool for striking aerial targets. The 9K333 can be mounted on various ground, sea and air platforms. Joint employment of the 9M336 missiles of the Verba MANPADS, combat control set of equipment and launch modules makes it possible to build on their basis lightweight mobile close-in air defense missile systems, or to include these assets into existing air defence missile and artillery systems.

Deployed in both day and night, under different weather conditions, the missile is guided to the target using a three-channel optical seeker, which operates in the ultraviolet, near-infrared, and mid-infrared wavelengths. Cross-checking sensors against one another better discriminates between relevant targets and decoys, and decreases the chance of disruption from countermeasures, including lasers. This particular feature increases the weapon's accuracy and speeds up the target acquisition. It also allows the missile to be used against targets with very small thermal footprints, such as the small electric drone just hit in Damascus.

Three infrared sensors that are constantly cross-checking against one another complicate the use of decoys by the enemy. The «seeker» allows projectiles to better distinguish between aircraft and heat pockets that might throw off a less advanced weapon's targeting system. The system also includes a ground-based «friend-or-foe» interrogator to prevent friendly fire.

A 1.5kg Mowgli-2M infrared (IR) imaging sight is attached on the left side of the launch tube. With an angular field of view of 24°, it detects air targets during low light or night conditions. The fully digital MANPADS is capable of operating independently or as part of a battery receiving data from various sources.

The Andromeda-D automated control system (ACS) transmits target designations to launchers in real time. It allows the operators to detect single or multiple aerial targets, acquire target information in advance, determine flight parameters and coordinates, and distribute data among air defence system weapon operators.

Air and naval variants are at the development stage. Joint employment of the 9M336 missiles of the Verba MANPADS, combat control set of equipment and launch modules makes it possible to build on their basis lightweight mobile close-in air defense missile systems, or to include these assets into existing air defence missile and artillery systems.

India, Algeria and Egypt are on the list of potential buyers. The Verba is the best weapon system in its class among those offered today on the international arms market, offering unique characteristics and technical solutions. The unique capabilities make Russia the world leader in MANPADS’ technology. Many people wonder why Russia needs air defense systems in Syria at all as the terrorists have no air forces. The combat test the Verba went through on August 3 demonstrated that the timely deployment of such highly capable systems in Syria saved human lives, protecting innocent people from a perfidious attack. 

Congress has quietly added a provision to the renewal of the National Defense Authorization Act that would leave the door open for the U.S. government to send anti-aircraft missiles to militants in Syria. This comes as President Obama is further lifting restrictions on providing weapons and other military support to Syrian rebels.

The Obama administration has previously been divided on the idea of providing anti-aircraft missiles to the Syrian opposition, which is dominated by extremist groups. The CIA has considered giving such weapons to rebels, yet other officials have expressed concerns that were the missiles to fall into the hands of al-Qaeda-aligned militants, they could subsequently be used to down civilian airliners.

This latest loosening of restrictions has been seen by some analysts as a way to further help Kurdish fighters combating ISIS in Raqqa. But the State Department has also stressed that it will continue supporting militants fighting the Syrian government, even after the recapture of Aleppo, meaning rebels could be recipients as well.

The 2017 NDAA bill will allow the U.S. to send man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS, to vetted Syrian rebels, as long as several congressional committees are approved.

The new provision that permits this is buried in the conference report that accompanies the 2017 NDAA bill, which sits at a massive 3,076 pages in length. A congressional staffer who is familiar with the issue notified AlterNet of the quiet addition to the bill, which was made in a meeting of the bicameral conference committee. 

Rep. Ted Yoho, a Republican from Florida, proposed an amendment to the 2017 NDAA bill in May that would prohibit the transfer of MANPADS to any entity in Syria. His amendment was adopted on a voice vote. The conference report acknowledged this House amendment. It added, however, that the Senate bill did not contain such a provision. AlterNet spoke with a separate congressional staffer who has worked on Syria policy.

The staffer, who asked to remain anonymous, said the provision in the final version of the NDAA was a compromise made in the congressional conference committee. While he and his colleagues wanted an outright ban, the staffer said the office saw the compromise as a small victory. He noted that previous versions of the NDAA did not mention MANPADS at all, and argued some restrictions are better than none.

The staffer could not say who in the conference committee opposed the outright ban on anti-aircraft missile transfers. John McCain, a hawkish Republican from Arizona, is the lead sponsor of the NDAA on the Senate side. In its report on the new MANPADS provision, the Washington Post pointed out that Sen. McCain has long called for more weapons for Syrian rebels.

In a statement released December 2, Rep. Yoho publicly took credit for introducing the compromise amendment into the final version of the NDAA, which he characterized as a success, "to help keep shoulder fired missiles out of the wrong hands in Syria."

Both of the congressional staffers interviewed by AlterNet, who work in separate offices for separate parties, warned that MANPADS are particularly dangerous because they are so portable. The missiles are very hard to track once they have been transferred abroad; they can fit in the trunk of a car or in a golf club bag and be taken to other countries.

The congressional staffers also said they have concerns about the vetting process for U.S.-backed Syrian rebels, which they warned is not as strong as they believe it should be. So-called moderate rebel groups in Syria frequently collaborate with al-Qaeda-aligned militants. Fighters from the Western-backed Free Syrian Army reportedly delivered kidnapped American journalist Theo Padnos to their ally Jabhat al-Nusra, Syria's al-Qaeda affiliate.

The Syrian opposition is dominated by these extremist groups, including Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (rebranded Syrian al-Qaeda), Ahrar al-Sham, Jaish al-Islam, and other hard-line Islamist militias. If such militants were to get their hands on MANPADS, they could be used to shoot down civilian aircraft. Moreover, if U.S.-backed Syrian rebels were to use anti-aircraft missiles to shoot down Russian planes, it could lead to a further escalation of tension between the two superpowers. Russia has more nuclear weapons than any other country.

While the U.S. government has, at least publicly, been divided on the issue, some Syrian rebels have had access to MANPADS for years, according to videos and photos posted to the internet by militants. How exactly the fighters got access to these weapons is unclear, but some analysts have speculated the anti-aircraft missiles came from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or Turkey — Western allies that have provided heavy support to Syrian rebels.

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have spoken out against further U.S. intervention in Syria. Rep. John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan, has voiced concerns about sending anti-aircraft missiles to Syrian rebels. In May, Conyers joined Yoho and two dozen other congresspeople in penning a letterto President Obama warning that, "MANPADS would only lead to more violence, not only in Syria, but potentially around the world".

Similarly, Sen. Rand Paul, a libertarian-leaning Republican from Kentucky, has frequently expressed opposition to U.S. arming of Syrian rebels. "Most of the arms we’ve given to the so-called moderate rebels have wound up in the hands of ISIS, because ISIS simply takes it from them, or it’s given to them, or we mistakenly actually give it to some of the radicals," Paul said in 2014.

At its peak in 2015, the operation to arm and train Syrian rebels was the CIA's largest covert program, with a budget of nearly $1 billion per year. Documents released by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden showed that $1 of every $15 in the CIA's overall budget went to operations in Syria. This was in addition to the billions of dollars in funding that came from the Western-backed authoritarian regimes in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

In February the Russian and US governments agreed to cooperate in starting peace negotiations while continuing to fight Daesh and its al-Qaeda affiliates. That agreement had no value whatsoever. At the time Syrian commentators were dismissive. No one should be surprised because the American side never intended to respect its commitments to Moscow. US policy is still to support what it calls the «moderate» opposition to overthrow the Syrian government in Damascus. The so-called moderates, backed by the United States, are not moderates at all and are «embedded» in al-Qaeda forces. The Russian government, playing along, asked its US «partners» to extract their «moderates» from the jihadist al-Nusra front.

«Impossible, we can’t», the Americans replied, we need more time, say, two or three months. Therefore, please don’t bomb al-Qaeda.

«Don’t bomb al-Qaeda?» the Russians asked incredulously: «What do you mean?»

Well, it means that the Obama administration seeks to protect al-Qaeda, or the al-Nusra front, sheltered by imbedded «moderates», and that it is playing the Russian government for a fool. It means that the Obama administration is a part of the problem and not part of the solution. How many generals with a free hand would accept this sort of sorry, dishonest pleading? The United States and its vassals are in fact allied with al-Qaeda and Daesh either directly or indirectly.

Russia actually halted its air strikes around Aleppo to conciliate Washington, not understanding – otherwise why do it? – that conciliation of the Obama administration is pointless. The Iranians and Syrians apparently said as much, but the Russian authorities did not listen to them. Hope springs eternal in Moscow apparently when it comes to winning over Washington.

If you are a Russian ally, however, such behaviour naturally raises questions about Russian reliability. Iranians were reported to have been unhappy because the «ceasefire» led to heavy Iranian casualties. The Russians, who are anything but fools, got the message. «I am under the impression that there is a game here», Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently commented, «and they [the United States] may want to keep al-Nusra Front in some form and later use it to overthrow the [Bashar el-Assad] regime». Syrians got the message too. «I have started to feel», one Syrian recently said to me, «that they [the Russians] are not going to leave us alone until we all die». In fact, Russia seems to be sticking with Syria in spite of its manoeuvres to wean the US government away from its jihadist proxies. It goes without saying that Russia needs allies too.

In an article I wrote in March, I said that it made no sense to agree to a ceasefire before the Daesh/al-Qaeda enemy was beaten because they would simply use the ceasefire to reinforce and resupply which is in fact what they did. Media reports indicated that several thousand fresh jihadists crossed the frontier from Turkey to replenish mauled Daesh and al-Qaeda forces in northern Syria. They then launched fresh attacks around Aleppo on Syrian forces which paid the price in dead and wounded for the «ceasefire».

Russian officials continue to refer to the United States as a «partner» – one hopes that now such references are mere irony – but sometimes one has to wonder. There is after all a price to pay in lives for attempts to wean the US government away from its destructive policies. Does the Obama administration think it is immune to terrorist attacks from its al-Qaeda and Daesh proxies? Apparently it does. France and Belgium were not immune although perhaps they thought they were.

It’s called «blowback», a term coined by the late American scholar Chalmers Johnson. Professor Johnson argued for years in favour of a more sensible, less destructive US foreign policy. To no avail. Now the Turks are paying the price in blowback for backing Daesh.

And let’s not forget the Iraqis. They are victims of blowback on a weekly basis, though it’s not of their own making.

A Syrian ceasefire is intended to precede negotiations to end the Syrian war. The media in the west speaks of a «civil war». Even the Moscow English language Sputnik, which ought to know better, continues to use such language. It is not a civil war in Syria; it’s a proxy war of aggression, financed, brokered, supplied and led by the United States and its various European and regional vassals. These include Britain, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Qatar to mention the most important. Anti-government forces are not Syrian at all, but come from an estimated 40 countries; they are waging war against the secular, multi-confessional government in Damascus. The fact that Daesh and various Islamist terrorist groups are foreign, not Syrian, has disappeared almost entirely from the Mainstream Media.

This Orwellian legerdemain is essential if one wants to promote negotiations with anti-government forces, in fact, with their brokers. But why give belligerent rights to foreign terrorist mercenaries? What legitimacy do Syrian oppositionists have, dressed in expensive suits, lodged in expensive foreign hotels, subsidised by the United States and its vassals? What legitimacy do foreign jihadist terrorists have in the eyes of most Syrians? Could any of these «suits» be expected to win legitimate Syrian elections, having wrought so much death and destruction?

It beggars belief, and that’s the American problem. But you know the United States, it creates its own realities, and the western media serve as propagandists for them. That’s how it works. One hopes that the ordinary everyman will catch on. In Europe, sometimes they do, voting in referenda, but then ignored by their government elites. Half the American population labours to make ends meet, or lives from paycheque to paycheque. One supposes they don’t have the time to look up from their daily struggles for economic survival to notice what evil the US government is perpetrating in their name. But even when the times were better, the American people have rarely caught on. The last time was during the so-called Vietnam War.

There is also the issue of Turkey and the burying of the hatchet after the ambush of the Russian fighter jet and the killing of its pilot in his parachute and of a Russian marine sent to rescue him. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a formal letter of apology, and Vladimir Putin immediately ordered the end of sanctions against Russian tourism in Turkey.

Wasn’t that a little too hasty? Apart from Erdogan’s scrap of paper, did the Russian government obtain any quid pro quo for the lifting of sanctions? Although we cannot know for certain, Russia apparently obtained nothing concrete from the Turkish government. Promises to discuss this or that issue were made, but is that enough for dead Russian servicemen or for Russia’s Syrian, Lebanese (Hezbollah), and Iranian allies? According to media reports, Turkey is now going to join Russia in fighting terrorism. Does that mean that Turkey will cease its support of Daesh, close down the supply routes into Syria, stop buying Daesh oil at cut-rate prices (apparently some still transits the frontier) and close the hospitals in Turkey used to treat Daesh wounded? If not, then the concept of Turkey joining «the fight against terrorism» is Orwellian newspeak.

Recently, there has been more comment in Moscow about Russia having «completed» its mission in Syria. Is this «liberal» code to prepare public opinion for a Russian «skedaddle»? Since the conflict in Syria is not a civil war but a war of aggression led by the United States, a Russian pull-out would eventually mean the defeat of the Syrian government in Damascus. It cannot hold out against all the resources of the United States and its vassals.

Russia is not pulling out of Syria – so it appears – and shame on those Moscow «liberals» who suggest that it should. Russian armed forces are fighting with their Syrian, Iranian and Lebanese allies. They have suffered losses. Russian airstrikes are supporting Syrian forces around Aleppo and elsewhere. If Syria still fights, it is because Russia has lent a hand.

But what’s next? A new ceasefire? With whom and to what end? The United States has not changed its policy; it’s still part of the problem, not the solution. Is there any point in asking for a dance with Washington, as long as it backs the al-Nusra front, and Daesh indirectly through its vassals like Turkey? Russia gave an answer which Obama and his neoliberal neocons can understand. A few weeks ago Russian bombers attacked al-Nusra and the «imbedded» US-backed «moderates» around Aleppo.

«Provocation», cried the Obama neoliberals. Not really, though Obama knows a thing or two about provoking Russia. It’s the language of force, and the only language which the US government understands.

The 9K333 Verba is Russia’s newest man-portable, shoulder-fired air defense missile system designed to detect and destroy unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles and other low-flying air targets.

It is an incredibly lightweight, mobile, and user-friendly tool for shooting planes out of the sky capable of operating independently or as part of a battery receiving data from various sources.

At present, Verba is entering into service with the Russian Army (since 2015). A full-scale mock-up of the Verba missile system was exhibited at the Army-2015 International Military-Technical Forum held in the Moscow region, Russia. Its first appearance internationally took place at the DefExpo-2016, India, this March.

The Verba air-defense system comprises combat equipment such as 9M336 missile, 9V861 mobile checkpoint, 1L229V ground-based interrogator (friend-or-foe), 1L122 compact radar detector, 9S935 gunner's automation kit, 9S933 portable fire-control unit, 9S933-1 built-in mounting kit, 9P521 launcher, 9S931 planning module, 9S932-1 intelligence and control module, and maintenance and training aids. A 1.5kg Mowgli-2M infrared (IR) imaging sight is attached on the left side of the launch tube. With an angular field of view of 24°, it detects air targets during low light or night conditions.

The missile launcher is coupled to an Andromeda-D automated control system (ACS), which is used for the control of air defence system using the data received from ground radars and early radar warning aircraft. The control system transmits target designations to launchers in real time. It allows the operators to detect single or multiple aerial targets, acquire target information in advance, determine flight parameters and coordinates, and distribute data among air defence system weapon operators.

The 9M336 missile can hit targets at ranges from 0.5 to 6.5 km (21 300 feet) at an altitude from 10 meters (33 feet) up to 4.5 kilometers (14700 feet). The missile velocity in flight is 500 meters (1640 feet) per second. It can hit approaching targets travelling at a speed of 400 meters (1300 feet) per second. It can also hit targets flying at a speed of 320 meters (1050 feet) per second when shooting in pursuit. The missile is capable of engaging 8 maneuvering targets simultaneously. It can be deployed in both day and night, under different weather conditions. A high-explosive (HE) fragmentation warhead, weighing 1.5 kg (3.30 lb.) provides the missile with increased probability of kill.

Verba’s reaction time is 8 seconds. Full ready-to-shoot weight (including launching unit, SAM and battery) is 17.25 kg (38 pounds). The MANPADS boasts enhanced capability of engaging small-size targets with low thermal signatures such as cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Compared with its predecessor the Igla-S system, the engagement envelope has been extended by a factor of 2.5, and protection from high-power flares improved by a factor of 10.

The improvements optimize the use of the missile's energy consumption with lower quantities of missiles now required to defeat an aerial target and deliver a general increase in performance by a factor of 1.5 to 2.

Missiles are guided to their targets using a three-channel optical seeker, which operates in the ultraviolet, near-infrared, and mid-infrared wavelengths. This is a feature that increases the weapon's accuracy and speeds up its target acquisition. The targeting system is specially built to fool its targets' anti-missile systems. The warhead contains three infrared sensors that are constantly cross-checking against one another to make it even harder for a target aircraft to disrupt the system using decoys. The missile's seeker also allows projectiles to better distinguish between aircraft and heat pockets that might throw off a less advanced weapon's targeting system. The unique decreases the chance of disruption from infrared countermeasures, including high-power flares and lasers.

The Verba MANPADS can be also mounted on various land, maritime and airborne platforms. Joint employment of the 9M336 missiles of the Verba MANPADS, combat control set of equipment and launch modules makes it possible to build on their basis lightweight mobile close-in air defense missile systems, or to include these assets into existing air defence missile and artillery systems.

«We are confident that Verba will provoke interest of Indian militaries and our partners in South East Asia and other regions», said Sergei Goreslavsky, deputy director general of JSC Rosoboronexport.

Russian experts believe, Algiers and Egypt are on the list of potential buyers.

The Igla-S has been exported to more than 30 countries. 

No doubt, Verba is the best weapon system in its class among offered today in the international arms market, judging by the combination of its tactical and technical characteristics and realization of unique technical solutions, especially the integration of a new multispectral optical seeker as opposed to the dual-waveband infrared used in other MANPADS. It guarantees Russia’s leading edge in portable air defense systems. 

Reports say some American-backed jihadi groups are being equipped with US-made MANPADS. Indications are they’re obtaining these advanced weapons either directly or indirectly from the US or its Mideast allies in connection with a recent escalation in the fighting in Syria.

On April 2, fighting broke out between western-backed al-Qaeda affiliates and the Syrian army, ending the Syrian ceasefire. The groups that broke the ceasefire included al-Qaeda in Syria (al-Nusra), the Chinese Uyghur Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), The Levant Brigade, the Freemen of Syria (Ahrar ash-Sham), Division 13, and other jihadi groups. According to AP, the US-trained and armed Division 13 is now fighting alongside al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham. The latter two are part of the Turkey/Saudi/Qatar-backed Army of Conquest».

That report goes on to document, essentially, that US President Barack Obama is continuing his efforts to replace the the only secular, non-sectarian government in the Middle East, that of the Ba’athist Party, which has always been the only non-religious political party in the Arab world – everything else in Arabia has been fundamentalist-Sunni, to at least some extent. (Think of it: after 9/11, the US government aiding al-Qaeda! The US government is more against Russia than it’s against jihadists – though Russia never invaded the US, and communism is gone!)

Dr Lin quotes a Saudi official as saying (in Germany’s Spiegel), «We believe that introducing surface-to-air missiles in Syria is going to change the balance of power on the ground… just like surface-to-air missiles in Afghanistan were able to change the balance of power there». He was referring there to this in 1979, where Obama’s friend Zbigniew Brzezinski explained why the Americans and the Saudis were supplying SAMs to the mujahideen who became al-Qaeda, and he was also referring to this in 1998, where Brzezinski, when asked whether he thought that arming those fundamentalist Sunnis had been a mistake, said that it certainly was not. Obama is continuing in that vein. Brzezinski still was talking there as if Russia equals the USSR, equals «the enemy». Obama acts from that same viewpoint – the viewpoint that will end either in WW III, or in Russia’s capitulation to the US aristocracy.

In their view, the end of communism, and the end of the Soviet Union, and the end of the Soviets’ Warsaw Pact (which was their counterpart to America’s NATO alliance), made and make no difference, and Syria should be ruled by jihadist groups, because its current government is allied with Russia, and Russia always tries to kill jihadists, never allies with them (as the US does).

Obama overthrew the Russia-friendly government of Ukraine and replaced it with an anti-Russian government; he also led the NATO bombing campaign that overthrew the Russia-friendly leader of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi; and he has since been trying to do the same thing in Syria, to Assad.

Dr Lin continues:

«Now, if it turns out that al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria are indeed armed with MANPADS, it would amount to what former CIA director David Petraeus called ‘our worst nightmare’. The missile would do far more than improve terrorist groups’ military capabilities to conduct future attacks.

A 2005 RAND study also concluded that Jihadists shooting down a civilian airliner would put a temporary freeze on worldwide air travel, causing a $15 billion loss to the world economy. More than a decade after this study, the present-day economic loss would be substantially higher than $15 billion».

Dr Lin’s calling this a «blunder» from Obama is based upon an assumption that Obama isn’t aware of the harms that he’s causing by what he’s doing; but, on the same day, a report, including shocking documentation from Jane’s (the specialist site about military matters), makes clear that Obama is determined to overthrow Assad no matter what the consequences.

The anonymous «Moon of Alabama» blogger posted at Global Research on April 8^th, «US Delivers 3,000 Tons Of Weapons And Ammo To Al-Qaeda and Co. in Syria». Shown there is the «Simplified packing list for December 2015 arms» that were sent. The anonymous blogger explained:

«One ship with nearly one thousand tons of weapons and ammo left Constanta in Romania on December 5. The weapons are from Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania. It sailed to Agalar in Turkey which has a military pier and then to Aqaba in Jordan. Another ship with more than two-thousand tons of weapons and ammo left in late March, followed the same route and was last recorded on its way to Aqaba on April 4.

We already knew that the ‘rebels’ in Syria received plenty of weapons during the official ceasefire. We also know that these ‘rebels’ regularly deliver half of their weapon hauls from Turkey and Jordan to al-Qaeda in Syria (aka Jabhat al-Nusra):

Hard-core Islamists in the Nusra Front have long outgunned the more secular, nationalist, Western-supported rebels. According to FSA officers, Nusra routinely harvests up to half the weapons supplied by the Friends of Syria, a collection of countries opposed to Assad…

US and Turkey supported ‘rebels’ took part in the recent attack on Tal al-Eis against Syrian government forces which was launched with three suicide bombs by al-Qaeda in Syria. This was an indisputable breaking of the ceasefire agreement between Russia and the US. It is very likely that some of the weapons and ammunition the US delivered in December were used in this attack».

Consequently, Obama is clearly determined to supply weapons to the jihadists until they win. This is no «blunder». It’s a determination to beat Putin, no matter what. It has consequences not only for the US and for Russia, but for the countries that America invades or whose governments America overthrows. Here are those consequences.

The «2016 Global Emotions Report» by Gallup, surveying over a thousand people in each one of 140 different nations, found that, by far, the people in Syria had «the lowest positive experiences worldwide», the people there were far more miserable than in any other nation. The score was 36 (on a scale to 100). Second and third worst were tied at 51: Turkey because of the tightening dictatorship there as Turkey has become one of Obama’s key allies in toppling Assad; Nepal, on account of the earthquake. Then tied at 54, were three countries, the fourth, fifth, and sixth, most-miserable places to live: Georgia, which still hasn’t recovered from the US-backed wars against Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where the majority want to be part of Russia; Serbia, where the majority are opposed to the government’s move to enter NATO; and Iraq, which still hasn’t recovered from Bush’s 2003 invasion. Then tied at 55, are five countries, the seventh-through-eleventh-most-miserable nations: Yemen, where America’s ally the Sauds are dropping American bombs onto Shiite neighborhoods; Bosnia and Herzegovina, which still hasn’t recovered from the civil war and the US bombing; Lithuania, which became impoverished by IMF-imposition of economic austerity, which has prevented economic recovery; Belarus, which will probably be the last country in the world to break away from Marxism; and, finally, the 11th-worst, Ukraine, which prior to the US coup, was less miserable than 29 countries and had a score of 60, which was 5 points higher than today’s – Obama’s coup there has definitely immiserated the Ukrainian people (not to mention displaced millions and slaughtered thousands by the ethnic-cleansing campaign against residents of the former Donbass region of Ukraine).

To what extent would it be sincere, or even honest, then, for the US President to say this?:

«America’s willingness to apply force around the world is the ultimate safeguard against chaos, and America’s failure to act in the face of Syrian brutality or Russian provocations not only violates our conscience, but invites escalating aggression in the future… In Ukraine, Russia’s recent actions recall the days when Soviet tanks rolled into Eastern Europe. But this isn’t the Cold War. Our ability to shape world opinion helped isolate Russia right away. Because of American leadership, the world immediately condemned Russian actions; Europe and the G7 joined us to impose sanctions; NATO reinforced our commitment to Eastern European allies; the IMF is helping to stabilize Ukraine’s economy; OSCE monitors brought the eyes of the world to unstable parts of Ukraine. And this mobilization of world opinion and international institutions served as a counterweight to Russian propaganda and Russian troops on the border and armed militias in ski masks».

Those «armed militias in ski masks», incidentally, were US-CIA-hired mercenaries. He had to know that; he simply lied.

(to be continued)

The military demonstrated the ability to use «a wide use of a range of different weapons including cluster bombs, thermobaric bombs, dumb bombs, rockets, cruise missiles, satellite guided bombs and electro-optically guided bombs, this dispels the notion that the Russian Air force is limited to basic munitions», said Ben Moores, a senior analyst at HIS Jane’s.

True, the list of new weapons and munitions used is long, but the unique capability of Russian aircraft to hit targets with great accuracy strikes the eye. At that it should be noted that not all planes were brand new (like the state-of-the-art SU-34s). The SU-24s went into service in the early 1970s. The SU-25s were first deployed in 1981. These relatively old working horses bore the brunt of work in Syria and did it well.

The accuracy of strikes was impressive even at night and in bad weather proving effective against the Islamic State and other extremist groups infrastructure to include combat positions, command points, explosives and improvised explosive devices production facilities, large warehouses, convoys with weapons and ammunition, training camps, bridges and other targets. It is also important to note that the Russian aircraft flew at over 5000m above ground to make them unreachable for portable air defense systems (MANPADS). 

What made them operate efficiently?

The Russian aircraft use the SVP-24 «special computing subsystem» to make their strikes precision-guided. The system is brand new. According to Alexander Panin, the director general of GEFEST company producing the guidance kit, it was still going through tests in July 2015 to be installed on TU-22M, SU-24M and SU-25 combat aircraft.

The subsystem uses GLONASS satellite navigation system (the Russian equivalent of US GPS) to constantly compare the position of the aircraft and the target. It measures the environmental parameters (pressure, humidity, wind flow velocity, aircraft speed, angle of attack, etc.) and receives information from datalinks (other planes, early warning aircraft, ground stations etc.) to compute an «envelope» (speed, altitude, course) inside which a gravity bomb is automatically released at the precise moment. As a result, the «iron bombs» strike with the same precision as brand new guided munitions. Even if GLONASS were jammed, the countless sensors would allow the computer to give a targeting solution.

The only thing to be done prior to pressing the button is entering the target’s exact coordinates into the SVP-24. Fire-and-forget guidance allows the pilot to concentrate on detecting threats and targets. The weather conditions or time of the day play no role.

The SVP-24 is mounted on a plane (not a bomb) to be reused over and over again. In theory, the SVP-24 can be installed on practically any rotary or fixed wing aircraft. Unguided, or «dumb» bombs have been accumulated in great quantities in the Cold War days. The supply is infinite to make their use in combination with the SVP-24 a cheap solution.

The cost is extremely important. The need of their massive use during the air operation, highlighted by the recent Western campaigns in Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq, drives the military spending up by far. The development of the SVP-24 enabled Russia to slash the costs of its military operation sharply. The development of sophisticated targeting systems has enabled the Russian Aerospace Forces to take out targets with the highest precision, using a huge stockpile of munitions, with negligible cost compared to that of guided air bombs. That’s what enabled Russian President Vladimir Putin to emphasize that the operation in Syria «will not place a considerable burden on the budget».

«While NATO, especially the United States, is investing hugely into precision-guided weapons and a total surveillance system, Russia is using its technical savvy to minimize the costs», Austrian publication Contra Magazin wrote in an article.

The publication cites key NATO General Hans-Lothar Domröse who said that thanks to continuous modernization, the Russian Armed Forces have gained a clear advantage to make Western countries astonished about the great accuracy of Russian air strikes.

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The success of the SVP-24 in the air campaign in Syria shows that the revamped Russian military sharply differs from what it was just some years ago. It is capable of quickly projecting power far from Russian borders widely using precision weapons to display the recent technological gains achieved at acceptable cost.

The deployment of a sizable expeditionary force by sea and air, an air campaign in which dozens of jets pounding targets round the clock for months send a clear message: Russia's military is second to none in the contemporary world.