Post by Andrei Tchentchik on Sept 5, 2019 18:42:50 GMT 2
(.#B.014).- How could Russia respond to the US soil-to-ground Tomahawk? 22-8-2019.
How could Russia respond to the US soil-to-ground Tomahawk ?
August 22, 2019.
Vzgliad
Translation of the Russian press (August 2019).
The Pentagon successfully tested the Tomahawk cruise missile from a terrestrial vector, which had been banned until now by the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
The United States may decide to deploy Tomahawks on the ground in Asia and Europe, triggering a new arms race, writes the daily Vzgliad. What is the degree of risk and how could Russia cope?
The US military has announced that tests of a non-nuclear ground-to-ground missile had eliminated a target "after more than 500 km of flight", which violates the conditions of the INF Treaty abandoned in early August by the US. The Pentagon's official spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Carver, said they were testing a "Tomahawk cruise missile version."
The launch barrel for the missile had existed on the polygon since 2015: the United States had begun to transgress the terms of the treaty well before accusing Russia.
The FNI treaty committed its signatories not to manufacture, test and deploy ballistic and ground-ground missiles of short (500-1000 km) and medium (1000-5500) ranges.
The trials of the new version of the Tomahawk in the United States have provoked a strong criticism of Russia. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov noted that "Russia will not [allow] the United States to drag it into an arms race". He added that Moscow would remain attached to the moratorium on the deployment of medium-range missiles "as long as such systems will not be deployed by the United States anywhere in the world".
"We take these facts calmly, without emotions. We assumed that events would evolve precisely in this direction. We will not be dragged into an expensive arms race, "said Sergei Ryabkov.
The deputy minister also pointed out that the missile test indicated that Washington had been developing such systems for a long time. "There could be no more clear and flagrant confirmation that the United States has been developing such systems for a long time, and that post-treaty readiness includes research and development in this area," said the diplomat. Russian.
Earlier, the Deputy Chairman of the Duma Defense Committee (lower house of the Russian parliament) Alexander Cherine had assumed that this had been done precisely to test missiles banned by the FNI. And Konstantin Kossachev, president of the Russian Federation's upper house of the Russian Federation Council, said that Russia would be forced to react to the deployment of American cruise missiles tested in Asia or Europe. Such missiles would represent a "direct military threat" to Russia.
According to Pavel Palajchenko, who participated in the negotiations on the reduction of conventional arms in Vienna and the negotiations on the reduction of intermediate-range missiles in Geneva (1980-1983), the Americans did not keep secret the elaboration of the new ground-ground version of the missile.
"It's not a surprise. But that means the continuation of the collapse of the restraint system and the possibility of a new arms race. Washington is creating a dangerous situation because things are moving towards the deployment of such missiles in Europe and Asia, "Pavel Palajchenko told Vzgliad newspaper. And to add that the United States had prepared this missile for testing "without hiding it".
"After Russia's accusations of violation of the FNI, the Pentagon has received funds to create and test ground-to-air missiles with a range greater than 500 km, that is to say prohibited by the treaty", explains the expert.
And to add that the probability that these missiles could appear in Europe remained unclear.
"However, their deployment would not take long. Their principle is precisely the mobility of vectors and the risk of strategic destabilization. That is why, in this case, everything depends on the political decision, "says Pavel Palajchenko.
Alexander Bartoch, a member of the Academy of Military Science, also notes that the Americans have long violated the FNI treaty by planning a ground deployment of the Tomahawk.
"By doing so, they were the first to break the treaty. The successful launch of this missile a few weeks after the withdrawal of the Americans from the FNI shows that they were leading a double false policy ", adds the expert.
While indicating that this is a new deception of the US: "They said first that he had traveled less than 500 km, but we doubted strongly. I think they developed it as a target missile using the elaborations created for other missiles in terms of interception by the ABM, "said the interlocutor.
The ground-to-ground Tomahawk will pose a significant threat to Russian national security.
"They could deploy missiles in Europe and Asia - Japan, South Korea, where, with a range of 5,000 km, they could cover the space of Russia to Novosibirsk. And in this case, our bases and missiles would be in line of sight, "said the expert.
According to him, the Americans will first work to increase the range and accuracy of the missiles, and they will prepare them for deployment throughout the perimeter of Southeast Asia. "We do not talk about it in Europe yet because it has already proposed to impose a moratorium on the deployment of missiles. But if the Americans did, we would answer, "he says. He added that Moscow "has all the necessary means to protect against such missiles".
"Russia can protect itself with fighter-interceptors and ground-based missile defense systems. We have defense systems and we will have time for the reaction of the ABM if necessary, "concludes Alexandre Bartoch.
Meanwhile, Dmitri Drozdenko, an observer for Arsenal Otechestva magazine, says the new version of the missile will only pose a risk to Russia if it is at an unacceptable launch distance from Russian territory.
"What was the danger of such missiles and why was the FNI signed? The approach time of such a missile is very small since it sails under cover of the relief. It is not the impossibility of destroying such missiles that is dangerous, but the possibility of a riposte. It's very hard to tell the difference between shooting these missiles and birds, or a computer bug. In this case a certain object could be mistaken for a missile, which would be followed by a wrong response ", summarizes the expert.
"For large ballistic missiles, there are space and ground-based warning systems that allow time to identify the target, process the data, and report back to the command to make a decision. While with such missiles there is very little time to make a decision, which increases the risk of triggering a mutually destructive war, "says the expert.
"Obviously, if the United States deployed such missiles in the dangerous vicinity of our borders, Russia would do the same. That's why the army chief gave the order to develop a terrestrial version of Kalibr. Some of its technical features even surpass those of the Tomahawk. In addition, the Iskander missile will be modernized soon for these purposes, "notes Dmitri Drozdenko.
"From our side, it will be an effective response. We return to the time that preceded the FNI. Vladimir Putin said that Russia would not deploy missiles in Europe if the United States did not deploy missiles. In other words, the president of our country let the Europeans decide. At one time, it was Europe, with Germany and France, that did not want to end up under American strikes. Now the ball is in their court, "Dmitri Drozdenko concludes.
The opinions expressed in this content are the sole responsibility of the author of the article taken from Russian media and translated in its entirety into French.
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