The Krasnaya Zvezda continues to publish the speeches of the participants of the round table "Experience of the accomplishment of tasks by the groupings of troops (forces) in the Syrian Arab Republic", which was held within the framework of the International military-technical forum "Army-2017". In this issue, readers will be able to familiarize themselves with the content of two reports: on the features of combat operations in urban conditions and on the results of approbation of new types of weapons, military and special equipment.
Deputy Commander of the Southern Military District, Lieutenant General Alexander Romanchuk, spoke about the specifics of hostilities in the city. army.
Noting that the establishment of control over urbanized areas is one of the key conditions for achieving success in modern wars, Lieutenant General Alexander Romanchuk listed the main features of warfare in the city. Among them, first of all, the absence of a clear line of combat contact and its stretching vertically (from underground communications to the upper floors of buildings) and in depth. Secondly, these are difficulties in maneuvering forces and means, as well as in the use of armored vehicles due to a significant number of obstacles. Another feature is the advantage of the defending side in knowledge of the terrain.
The fourth feature is that hostilities are taking place in residential areas. From a humanitarian point of view, this is the most important problematic issue. Obviously, a significant number of civilians creates significant difficulties for the actions of troops and requires the involvement of additional forces and funds to ensure their withdrawal from the combat zone, the organization of deployment, and measures to identify militants among them. In addition, the presence of the civilian population in the city at least makes it difficult, and in some cases completely excludes the possibility of using heavy weapons, including artillery and aviation.
“The use of civilians as human shields was widely used by militants in Afghanistan and Syria,” the speaker stated. - Having driven people to the streets of the city, illegal armed formations create conditions under which the movement of equipment of assault units is difficult, government troops cannot fire, fearing large losses among local residents.
All this was confirmed by the events in Aleppo, where the government forces had to solve humanitarian problems. During the liberation of the eastern quarters of this provincial city, over 136 thousand people were withdrawn from the combat zone. Information support was carried out, measures were taken to identify militants among civilians.
Lieutenant General Alexander Romanchuk drew the attention of the round table participants to the dissimilarity of events during operations in Aleppo and Iraqi Mosul, which was liberated from ISIS by the forces of the American-led coalition. The leadership of the international coalition promised to carry out the operation as soon as possible and with the minimum use of heavy weapons. But after the blockade of the city, humanitarian corridors were not organized. The civilian population left the city spontaneously, as a result, people died not only at the hands of militants, but also during air and artillery strikes. The city was practically wiped off the face of the earth; according to some sources, about 40 thousand civilians died in it.
- When operating in urban conditions, the main thing is to find ways to accomplish the task of mastering a settlement with minimal use of military force, - the speaker continued. - In this regard, complex actions of troops come to the fore. Therefore, the organization of the operation will take much longer than usual.
At the same time, no measures of a non-military nature will give a positive result without relying on military force, said Lieutenant General Alexander Romanchuk. The enemy needs to prove that the opposing group of troops has all the necessary forces to take the city.
First of all, the city should be blocked in order to block the supply routes to the enemy of reserves, ammunition and other materiel. At the same time, the blockade should not be passive. There should be short, needle-like offensive actions along the entire line of contact.
“Let the task be to capture one building in each direction, but this will not allow the enemy to identify the direction of the main attacks and concentrate the main forces on them,” the speaker explained.
When defining an idea, it is paramount to assess the situation inside the city - the economy, living conditions and moods of the population, food supplies, and the possibilities for their replenishment.
- All this is needed in order to find those vulnerabilities or critical points, the impact on which will create conditions for the enemy to abandon the defense of the city, - said Lieutenant General Romanchuk and gave an example of how, during the capture of the eastern regions of Aleppo, the militants' defense significantly weakened when their coordination headquarters was destroyed.
A feature in the preparation and during the conduct of hostilities for the liberation of Aleppo was the widespread use of 3D maps with the ability to detail settlements down to a separate house. This, according to the deputy commander of the Southern Military District, made it possible to most effectively determine the combat missions of the units that were assigned in the city according to clearly defined structures, quarters and districts.
- The experience of Aleppo has shown that the most effective in the capture of a city is a combination of two methods: local actions of small forces along the entire line of contact and the offensive of reinforced assault detachments in converging directions in order to dissect the city into separate parts, disrupt the stability of the defense and the subsequent destruction of disparate groups of militants in parts, - the speaker continued, stressing the need to pay special attention to the direct training of assault detachments.
In this regard, the experience of the assault units of the Syrian Arab Army in the preparation and conduct of hostilities to liberate the complex of military schools in the southwestern suburb of Aleppo is indicative.
- Even despite the lack of time, the assault units were not put into battle until they completed the entire cycle of combat training, which ended with a tactical exercise on the topic of the upcoming hostilities under the leadership of the unit commander, - said the speaker.
In addition, in preparation for action, the Syrian units were fully provided with the necessary equipment, stocks of weapons and ammunition. Thus, the unit commander concentrated on the direction of the offensive all the stocks of smoke weapons available in his detachments.
Thirdly, as a result of reconnaissance of the area of forthcoming actions, the command chose the most advantageous direction for the attack - where the enemy was not expecting him.
“And the last thing is the suddenness and swiftness of actions,” noted Lieutenant General Alexander Romanchuk. - Going to the attack at nightfall. A throw in a vehicle to the front edge of the enemy's defense. An attack on the front edge from three directions and the capture of an advantageous line - an earthen rampart, passing along the southern border of the complex of military schools.
“As a result of this preparation, the assault detachments managed to complete the task in two days, which other units could not solve within a month,” the speaker stated.
It is necessary to prepare carefully for the conduct of hostilities in urban conditions, using all the space and features of urban development, to develop new forms and methods of warfare in megacities, summed up the deputy commander of the Southern Military District. Particular attention should be paid to determining the optimal organizational and staff structure of subunits and tactical methods of combat operations.
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At a round table, Lieutenant General Igor Makushev, Chairman of the Military Scientific Committee of the Armed Forces - Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, reported on the results of testing new types of weapons, military and special equipment (AME) in Syria. He noted that verification of weapons and military equipment in combat conditions, assessment of the effectiveness of the use of new systems and complexes is carried out on a regular basis with the involvement of representatives of interested military command and control bodies, research organizations of the Russian Ministry of Defense and enterprises of the military-industrial complex. More than 200 types of weapons have already been tested, which have shown high efficiency based on the results of combat use and have proven their ability to perform assigned tasks.
Long-range aircraft Tu-160 and Tu-95MS in a real combat situation for the first time used the new air-launched missile Kh-101
According to the plan of the General Staff, for the first time, the combat use of high-precision air and sea-based weapons was carried out, the option of using air and sea components in one strike was worked out. Long-range aircraft Tu-160 and Tu-95MS in a real combat situation for the first time used the new air-launched X-101 missile. The hitting accuracy, recorded by means of objective control, meets the requirements, the speaker stated. At the same time, flights of strategic bombers were carried out from Russian territory along routes running over Iran and Iraq, as well as over the northern seas and the eastern part of the Atlantic. In the latter case, the aircraft covered 11 thousand km, having made two refueling in the air. They launched missiles over the Mediterranean and returned to their home base.
For the first time in the practice of the Russian Navy in combat conditions, a massive launch of Kalibr cruise missiles was carried out, including from a submarine that was submerged. The use of high-precision sea-based weapons made it possible to ensure the destruction of targets at a distance of up to 1,500 km with the required accuracy.
- Thus, the testing of long-range high-precision weapons has confirmed the ability of the Navy to provide a presence in remote areas of the World Ocean on a long-term basis in readiness to deliver single, group and joint strikes, - summed up the speaker.
The Kalibr missile has an export version designed to equip submarines, surface ships, airborne missile systems, mobile ground-based missile systems, including those placed in a standard 40-foot sea container.
As for the participation of Tu-22M3 bombers in the special operation, more than 250 sorties were carried out, as the speaker noted. At the same time, the Tu-22M3, which had undergone modernization, were used: specialized computing subsystems SVP-24-22 were installed on them, which made it possible to significantly increase the accuracy of bombing.
The SVP-24 "Hephaestus" system, by analyzing GLONASS data on the relative position of the aircraft and the target, taking into account the value of atmospheric pressure, air humidity, wind speed, flight speed and a number of other factors, calculates the course, speed and altitude of the release of aircraft weapons, after which bombing carried out in automatic mode.
- The main contribution to solving the problems of destroying objects of illegal armed formations was made by the aircraft of the operational-tactical aviation of the Aerospace Forces, as well as the naval aviation of the Navy, - said Lieutenant General Igor Makushev. - The combat tension of aviation averaged 3-4 sorties per day, and in some cases reached 6.
At the same time, the speaker said, 50 percent of the main tasks of air engagement of enemy targets were performed by Su-24M bombers and Su-25SM attack aircraft. The modernized Su-25SM aircraft provided the possibility of bombing using a satellite navigation system. In turn, the use of Su-24M bombers equipped with the SVP-24 Hephaestus subsystem made it possible to ensure the effectiveness of the destruction of enemy targets with unguided bombs, comparable to the accuracy of the use of corrected aerial bombs.
- The fourth generation Su-34 fighter-bomber ensured the delivery of accurate strikes both in the tactical and operational depths of the enemy's territory, - the speaker continued, listing the advantages of this aircraft and noting the effective use of the KAB-500 corrected aerial bombs and Kh- missiles by the Su-34 crews. 29L with laser guidance.
For the first time in real combat conditions, the Su-35S multifunctional fighter was used.
- In the course of approbation, the Su-35S aircraft carried out the use of corrected aerial bombs and guided air-to-surface missiles, - said Lieutenant General Makushev. - The KAB-500KR corrected aerial bomb with a passive homing head showed high accuracy characteristics. The Kh-29TD air-to-surface missile and the Kh-35U anti-ship missile modified for combat use against ground targets were launched. The maximum bomb load of the aircraft in one flight was 8 tons.
In addition, taking into account the equipment of the Su-35S with the Khibiny electronic countermeasures system, as well as long-range air-to-air missiles, the aircraft performed the tasks of covering aviation strike groups with patrol escorts and setting up air screens in the area of the combat mission.
Combat helicopters Ka-52 and Mi-28N make a significant contribution to solving combat missions in Syria. They are widely used both for the destruction of tanks, armored vehicles and enemy manpower, and for conducting aerial reconnaissance, ensuring the safety of takeoff and landing of aircraft at the Khmeimim airfield.
- During the approbation, the helicopters were used in simple and difficult weather conditions, in the daytime and at night, including with the use of night vision goggles, - said Lieutenant General Makushev. “At the same time, effective combat use of the Ataka-1 and Vikhr-1 anti-tank guided missiles and Igla guided missiles has been ensured.
He also emphasized that the on-board defense systems installed on the Mi-28N and Ka-52 helicopters provide warning of radar irradiation of ground, ship and airborne weapons detection and control systems, objects with laser radiation, as well as effective counteraction to portable anti-aircraft missile systems. with infrared homing heads.
Su-33 and MiG-29K aircraft from the naval air group were used to defeat ground targets. In turn, ship-based helicopters performed the tasks of air cover, air reconnaissance and search for enemy submarines, as well as delivering goods and transporting personnel.
“The daily contribution to the destruction of enemy targets during the operation of the naval aviation group averaged at least 20 percent,” the speaker said.
Russian-made artillery systems have proven themselves well in Syria. In total, the volume of fire missions solved by missile forces and artillery in the operation exceeded 45 percent of the total number of targets assigned to defeat.
“The high accuracy and efficiency of strikes was confirmed during the use of the Tochka and Tochka-U tactical missile systems by the armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic,” the speaker said.
The high efficiency of combat use was also confirmed by the Smerch, Uragan, and Grad MLRSs. To destroy armored objects, artillery and mortar crews of the enemy, 152-mm howitzer "Msta-B" and 122-mm howitzer "D-30" are used. The high reliability of the armament of the missile forces and artillery is also noted.
“The TOS-1A heavy flamethrower system has proven itself as a powerful weapon in performing fire missions,” said Lieutenant General Igor Makushev. - The nature of the targets hit - areas where illegal armed formations are located, command posts, positions of fire weapons.
He noted the high efficiency of thermobaric ammunition of the TOS-1A heavy flamethrower systems during their massive use, including during the offensive on the prepared defense of the militants.
Summing up, Lieutenant General Igor Makushev said that the samples of weapons tested in Syria in real conditions of an armed conflict correspond to the declared characteristics.
- The identified shortcomings and individual malfunctions did not affect the performance of combat missions, - said the speaker. - At the same time, on each problematic issue, the most thorough analysis was carried out, including with the involvement of representatives of the defense industry, and comprehensive measures were developed to eliminate the causes of abnormal operation of weapons and military equipment.
