Can Russia destroy US missile defenses in Europe?

By Ian Greenhalgh on May 19, 2016

How sad that we are publishing this Cold War-like scenario in 2016; we had hoped such things were left behind with the bad old days of MAD.

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Pravda
Can Russia destroy US missile defenses in Europe?

No one doubts the power of American weapons. The United States is one of the greatest military in the world, no matter how you look at it. Russia has no doubts about it either, but the country does not fear US weapons, because it can adequately respond to any “smart move” of the American military.

The current media hype surrounding the deployment of the US missile defense system in Europe, which may supposedly disrupt the launches of Russian ballistic missile as a weapon of retaliation and strike a nuclear blow on the Russian territory, has not sown panic in Russia either.

Speaking about medium-range Standard missiles that are part of the US missile defense system, Russian experts admit that they can indeed be re-equipped to strike control systems of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces.

General designer of the Institute of Thermal Engineering, Yuri Solomonov, said that a missile designed to intercept ICBMs in the air can be simply reprogrammed to attack ground targets. Nevertheless, this can hardly be called a serious threat to Russia.

Firstly, the Russian missile defense system, which also includes aerospace forces, can intercept such missiles, even if they are launched from Romania or Poland. Secondly, such missiles are capable of striking ground targets at distances from 500 to 1,500 kilometers. In other words, they will not reach Moscow. Thirdly, in case of an act of aggression against Russia, Russia will resort to all means of deterrence.

In Europe, they fear Russia’s Iskander-M tactical missile complexes. This is a very serious weapon indeed. The system is mobile, capable of producing unexpected launches, but the range of its missiles makes up 300-350 kilometers. Therefore, they can reach, lets say, Romania, from the territory of Transnistria.

There are no Russian missiles in Transnistria. In this unrecognized republic, Russia only has a peacemaking contingent. From the Kaliningrad enclave, Iskander missiles may reach only a part of Poland and the Baltic Sea. These missiles have their own tasks that are not included in the system of the Russian missile defense system. We have a more serious caliber.

The use of ICBM RS-24 Yars (mobile or silo-based), as well as ICBM R-30 Bulava (can be launched from nuclear submarines) is unlikely for the purpose to destroy US missile defenses in Europe – it’s like shooting sparrows from a cannon. The same goes for such “monsters” as Topol-M or Voevoda (Satan) missiles that can wipe the USA off the face of the Earth.

To counter sources of aggression in Europe, Russia can use Calibre missiles. Russia has these missiles in ground, air, surface and underwater versions. All of them are capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Even a small rocket ship, located in Sevastopol, is capable of covering Transylvania, Bucharest and the territory of 2,500 kilometers farther. From Baltiysk, the Caliber missiles can reach all of Western Europe, including the UK.

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Source: veteranstoday.com