In modern conditions of warfare, non-contact air strikes are the most effective method of engaging enemy personnel and equipment, which was perfectly demonstrated during the military operations conducted by the United States and NATO in Afghanistan, Iraq and continuing in Libya. To repel such attacks, air defense systems are in demand as never before. However, since they are very expensive and in the post-Soviet republics these funds are mostly still Soviet-made, the obvious dependence of the CIS states on Russia is obvious. The Russian Federation is the only state in the entire post-Soviet space in which work is being carried out to modernize the entire spectrum of aviation and anti-aircraft missile systems of air defense manufactured in the USSR. Also, it is Moscow that develops and mass-produces new systems.
Exercises at the Ashuluk training ground became a confirmation of the active work of Russian military engineers in the development of air defense systems, the active phase of the exercises of the Armed Forces of the countries participating in the CIS Joint Air Defense System “Combat Commonwealth-2011” ended just yesterday. Despite the fact that not all countries that are part of this structure take part in the maneuvers, representatives of the armed forces of all 11 states of the Commonwealth will constantly observe the operational actions of combat crews (from Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) …
Representatives of Moldova and Azerbaijan, who are not members of the CIS Joint Air Defense System, also arrived at the training ground in the rank of observers. This interest is understandable. The CIS air defense OS is, in fact, the only military coalition association in the post-Soviet space that demonstrates constant efficiency.
Obviously, it is no coincidence that last Saturday, after the end of the meeting of the Air Defense Coordination Committee under the CIS Defense Council, the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces of the Belarusian Armed Forces, Major General S. Lemeshevsky, said that his country was considering the possibility of purchasing modern anti-aircraft missile systems from Russia. 400. Representatives of Belarus have announced such intentions more than once before. Back in May of this year, Pavel Borodin, Secretary of the Union of Russia and Belarus, said that the issue of supplying Belarus with the latest anti-aircraft missile systems developed and manufactured by the Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumph concern has basically been resolved. After the actual failure of negotiations between Moscow and NATO on the creation of a unified missile defense system in Europe, which were held this summer, Russia is currently deciding in practical terms the issue of the possibility of deploying S-400 divisions in Belarus.
An indirect confirmation of such intentions is the official statement of the representative of the Information Directorate and the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense for the Air Force V. Drick that prepared combat crews will take part in the Union Shield 2011 exercise, which began on September 16 and is conducted jointly by Russia and Belarus. air defense troops, manned by the S-400. Peter Tikhonovsky, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus, revealing the intention of these maneuvers, said: "We are practicing in practice the use of a single territorial air defense system, which will subsequently be used not only to protect against air attack weapons, but also to cover ground groupings."Meanwhile, there have been no official statements from Russia about the possible transfer of the S-400 divisions to neighboring Belarus at the moment. First of all, this is due to the problem that has arisen in Russia in terms of equipping its own armed forces with S-400 systems. Russian Defense Minister A. Serdyukov has repeatedly stated the need to build several new factories for the manufacture of air defense missile systems. However, the defense industry is obviously not up to the task.
Meanwhile, Russia apparently has certain obligations on the supply of air defense weapons not only to Minsk. Russia's closest allies - Armenia and Kazakhstan - are also expecting from the signing of contracts for the installation of the S-300 and S-400 air defense systems on their territory.
According to Igor Korotchenko, director of the World Arms Trade Analysis Center, at the moment the Almaz-Antey concern "has begun the construction of three new plants for the production of a series of modern air defense systems and systems." True, a logical question arises: when will these plants start working? According to the official representatives of the Almaz-Antey concern and the government, the commissioning of new facilities for the production of air defense systems is expected no earlier than 2015.
