When flying at an altitude of more than 9000 m, the MRK-411 radar system of the ORTR Tu-214R aircraft is capable of monitoring surface objects at a distance of over 250 km
For the second time in 2016, the Tu-214R strategic optical-electronic reconnaissance and ground targeting aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces went on combat duty over the Syrian theater of military operations, as reported by FlightRadar24. The second serial aircraft RA-64514, having overcome the airspace over the Caspian Sea, Iran and Iraq, arrived at the Khmeimim airbase on July 29, 2016 to conduct reconnaissance in the territories adjacent to the territories controlled by the Syrian government forces, as well as to control the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean. The same vehicle was already on duty in the Syrian airspace in February 2016, endorsed the situation on the demarcation line between the Armed Forces of Novorossiya and the Armed Forces of Ukraine in June 2015, and also monitored the tactical situation with the movements of NATO troops in the Baltic countries in June this year. Flight design tests, which are more logical to call the first "baptism of fire", the board took place exactly at the borders of Ukraine in June 15th year, recording the movement of armored vehicles and artillery of the Kiev junta, firing at the cities of Donbass.
This time, the arrival of this aircraft in Syria may be associated with several important strategic events at once - the preparation of an operation to liberate the largest Syrian north-western stronghold of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group - Aleppo, the further development of an offensive operation in all directions of the Syrian-Turkish borders, relocation of existing and arrival of new naval strike groups in the eastern Mediterranean.
The denouement of the first and most difficult operation to liberate the northwestern borders of Syria, we can observe in the coming weeks, days or even hours. The battles for the city of Aleppo will be as fierce as this economic center and the second largest Syrian city of the same name, the most populated governorate of the state, have great geopolitical and military-strategic value. The task ahead is very difficult: the Syrian Armed Forces, with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Hezbollah, Kurds and self-defense units, must suppress all activities of IS, Jabhat al-Nusra and other small terrorist groups in various parts of the city. Aleppo is completely surrounded by government forces: the transport routes for the logistics of the groups are now closed, but there are some peculiarities.
The Syrian-Turkish border north of Aleppo remains uncontrollable: the cities of Afrin, Katma and Azaz are at the full disposal of the pro-Turkish Jabhat al-Nusra. The organization can freely receive provisions, ammunition, mortars and artillery systems with light armored vehicles from the Turks to displace the Syrian army from the Aleppo suburbs. Before the storming of Aleppo, a dense artillery preparation is needed for the transport interchanges of terrorists near Azaz, as well as the work of the Russian Aerospace Forces. It is also necessary to control the approaches to these cities from the north (from Turkey). Apparently, these are the tasks that our Tu-214R will perform in the Syrian airspace.
According to the German media, Erdogan "cut off the oxygen" to the militants of the "Free Syrian Army", in agreement with which the Al-Nusra Front sometimes acts, but this information cannot be fully trusted. As time shows, Turkey can change its military-political views ten times a day. And if this is true, and Erdogan went to a real rapprochement with Russia and Iraq in the fight against Islamists, let's not forget that the combat capability of the Free Syrian Army, and in some cases of ISIS, remains on the list of priority US interests., Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the entire Western coalition, and therefore it is quite realistic to expect military-technical assistance to the militants near Aleppo, coming from the central regions of Syria controlled by IS, as well as with the help of the US military transport aircraft. The Tu-214R in such a situation is simply irreplaceable.
The resolution of the second issue related to the constant movements of the US Navy aircraft carrier strike groups in the eastern Mediterranean requires more careful monitoring. In June and July 2016, a lot of unfounded criticism from the command of the US Navy sounded towards the crew of the patrol ship SK pr. 11540. Our sailors were accused of unsafe maneuvers 140 meters from the CG-56 USS "San Jacinto" missile launcher, in the immediate vicinity of the DDG-107 USS "Gravely" EM URO, and also of an attempt to interfere with the actions of the CVN-69 USS "Dwight D" nuclear-powered aircraft carriers Eisenhower and CVN-75 USS Harry S. Truman. These actions are of a completely preventive nature, indicating that the Russian Navy will not allow the American fleet to dominate in the area of operation of our ship group. Naturally, the Americans cannot understand this position, since for 66 years the 6th operational fleet of the US Navy, as well as the ships of other fleets supporting it, are considered in Washington the main instruments of military-political intimidation in the South European theater of operations. At the same time, the American KUG and AUG should not be put on the same level with the rest of the NATO forces (French, British or Italian): the Americans "keep aloof" from their henchmen, and in an unpredictable situation will act in accordance with orders from Washington.
The regular US Navy grouping off the coast of Cyprus and in the Red Sea is quite large today, and usually includes more than 10 ships, most of which are destroyers of the Arley Burke class and the cruiser Ticonderoga with a full ammunition of Tomahawks and Harpoons ". In such a situation, our KUG is in the minority, which requires staying within the radius of cover by the coastal SCRC "Bastion" deployed on the Syrian coast. Tu-214R will be able to very successfully control the actions of American AUG near our ships until October-November 2016, when the aircraft carrier pr. 1143.5 "Admiral Kuznetsov" with its 279th OKIAP will take over on combat duty.
As we already know, the multi-frequency radio-technical complex of the MRK-411 aircraft is capable of operating in the “subsurface radar” mode at a distance of more than 100 km, detecting the enemy's underground infrastructure at a depth of several tens of meters. High accuracy is ensured by the use of a two-sided airborne radar with a phased array, as well as a ventral tail radar in a radio-transparent convex fairing. The MRK-411 is capable of operating in SAR (synthetic aperture) mode both for ground and surface targets at a distance of up to 250 km, which is more than that of the American E-8C "J-STARS".
Borders of the reconnaissance territories of Ukraine through the operation of the MRK-411 complex on the RA-64514 board during the pulling of military units by Kiev to shell the cities of Donbass
Optical-electronic sighting system "Fraction" allows you to establish visual contact with sea and ground targets at a distance of several tens of kilometers (depending on meteorological conditions): classification and identification of targets, as well as observation of what is happening at these objects.
Given the unpredictable behavior of the US Navy ships in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the need to control and coordinate military operations in the northwest, north and center of Syria, the Russian Aerospace Forces group should be equipped with two Tu-214R sides, but an explosive situation in the Donbas, near the Crimean borders and in the Baltic States it forces you to hold the RA-64511 board at the air bases of the European part of Russia.
