Saturday, May 24, 2008

While Israel talks peace, Syria prepares for war

Lekarev Report

Syria’s Shopping Trip to Moscow

A Syrian military delegation carried a rather long shopping list to Moscow this past Monday, May 19 - a list which clearly demonstrates the transformation in military strategic thinking in Damascus since Israel destroyed the Syrian plutonium reactor last September.

With $ 5 billion to spend - mostly put up by Tehran - the list features sophisticated surface missiles, air force fighter-bombers, light fighter planes, short-range cruise missiles, submarines and short-range anti-air missiles for defense against missile attack including the cruise variety. Historic Syrian military doctrine has focused on defense against an Israeli armored invasion. But the new thinking introduces tactics and hardware elements to enable Syria’s air force, missile units and navy to mount counter attacks. A Russian-made short-range air arm would protect Syria’s armored divisions, rival the superiority of Israel’s air force and helicopter-borne anti-tank rocket capabilities, and go on the offensive against Israeli tank columns.

Syria’s air force and air defense chief, Gen. Akhmad Al Ratyb, headed up the delegation to Moscow, accompanied by Syrian missile, armored combat and air defense experts and high-ranking naval officers.

For their five-day mission, they split up into five sub-groups for visits to Russian munitions factories and bases where the weapons on their list are manufactured or deployed.

Syria is eager to get its hands on a number of Russian made armaments:

Russian Iskander-E surface to air missile, one of the most advanced today
Fifty of the latest MiG-29SMT fighter-bombers
The Pantser SIE air defense missile systems
800 Strelets, short-range anti-air missiles
75 Yak-130 light combat & training planes which outclass Israeli choppers
Two Amur-1650 submarines capable of firing cruise missiles

Quite the shopping list! Quite the budget!
Thanks Israpundit

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