Syria Has Given the Russian Army a Rare Chance to Hone and Modernize Its Weapons

Syria ended up becoming a test site for Russian weapons. The military-technical experience acquired because of Syria must be thoroughly analyzed. It's clear why our President issued specific orders for military and defense industry officials.

President Putin: "I’d like to specifically ask the Ministry of Defence and the defense enterprises to analyze, there is such an analysis, but I'd rather you report analyze and then report, the way the representatives of our defense industry acted during the Syrian operation when the modern weapon systems were used. I know, there weren't just so-called maintenance-teams but also members of design-engineering departments and some academic institutions. Their work was interesting, timely, and quite effective. During the engagement, they managed to adjust certain systems in field conditions".

 

Russian weapons in action. Grigory Vdovin reporting.

The newest Russian serial fighter jet, the Su-35, is getting ready to take off. The pilot personally checks if all the equipment is fastened before climbing into the cockpit. The radio transmission might seem odd to the average person.

The radio transmission:

- Trampoline.

- 4-50 torch.

- Got it.

Actually, everything is fairly simple. "Trampoline" means steering. And "torch" means take-off.

This is practically the first flight of the new fighter jet. Some say it defies the laws of physics. It's all about the new engines with a controllable thrust vector. The jets arrived here with a large delegation of specialists from the plant in the Far East, in order to process all the complaints and grievances.

Grigory Vdovin: "Will your work help to modernize the jet?"

Yuri Kudashov, head of the warranty maintenance group: "Of course it will. We send all the suggestions to the operator in a timely manner".

In this case, the operator is the Russian Ministry of Defence.

The Typhoon truck reminds us of the vehicles from the Star Wars franchise. Driving this 24-ton monster is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. My impressions? Well, this road is far from being ideally flat, but the truck goes really smoothly over it. It steers, brakes, and accelerates perfectly. It's almost like you're driving a high-quality passenger car.

The truck is armored and has a ventilation system preventing the crew from choking on outside smoke. And that's just a small portion of the innovative features in this brand-new truck. Air suspension and the tire pressure regulator don't allow the vehicle to swim, but at least let it dash along the Mediterranean shore.

The vehicle is reserved for military police. It didn't get its scratches driving around the airfield. There’s already a genuine bullet hole.

Evgeniy Ponomarev, military traffic police: "The wheels have an armored frame inside, like a wheel inside a wheel. If bullets or bombs damage the wheels the truck can still travel up to 50 km at the speed of 50 km/h without losing its mobility".

This hanger is jokingly called the "eye doctor's office". The drones are the eyes of the battalion. Here they get adjusted and repaired. These invisible and indispensable mechanic assistants got a separate runway at the airfield. Here's a Forpost drone taking off to fulfill its operational mission. It can fly up to 12 hours at a distance of more than 300 km. They are the scouts, observers, supervisors, and gunners. Here's the footage that was so popular in the world's media. It was filmed with the help of the drones that are carefully maintained here. This model, proudly called "Orlan," (sea-eagle) malfunctioned when it was hit by lightning. Could this situation be simulated in a laboratory?

Kirill Morozov, first rank engineer: "There are a lot of details that can't be contemplated in a factory environment. The new models are being used multiple times here. Sometimes, the issue might be tiny, like a grain of sand or dust getting into the engine. You start figuring out a reason, getting to the bottom of it".

Grigory Vdovin: "Will your work result in some changes in the drones structural construction?"

Kirill Morozov: "Yeah. I hope it will".

A man's sitting on a bench reading a newspaper.

Grigory Vdovin: "Can you read it?"

Andrey Gureyev, drone squadron commander: "It all depends on the assignment".

Grigory Vdovin: "But technically it's possible".

Andrey Gureyev: "Everything depends on the operating altitude".

I see the paper like this. You see the paper like this. The drone operator sees it like this. He's 3 km away from us. Certainly, it's quite hard to literally read the paper like that. But it's an actual operational flight. And it hasn't been specifically ordered. Neither I nor the cameraman see something in the sky that would tell us we're being watched. The sky's empty and clear. There's no noise. As if there were nothing there.

Like an antique colossus, the giant Su-34 is shackled by metallic cables. The turbines are giving a deafening roar. The overdrive-regime is on. The engines are being tested. The S-35 technicians at the nearby hangar are also covering their ears. The procedure was even drawn in a wall newspaper. The joke is about simultaneously roasting a great barbeque.

And this is the MiG-29. Its fuselage is far from being cutting-edge technology. But the insides are all new. It's also being tested in Khmeimim.

Robert Vontsovich, leading specialist of AO RSK MiG: "She lived up to all our hopes. We received more than we invested. We are happy with her performance."

Our initial hero, the Su-35, is returning from a successful mission. The pilot receives the same question. How does he interact with designers and engineers so far from home and his home air-field?

The pilot: "Previously, there were jets with a launch button always on the right side. Once the jet was released, it was moved to the left. It feels uncomfortable and distracting. We told them and they moved it".

- Is everything in order now?

- Yep.

And of course, the engineers address their questions to the pilot.

- Is the auto-land working?

- Yes, auto-land is fine.

- The descent goes smoothly?

- Yep, just like in the textbooks.

The contents of this conversation are not classified anymore. They are top secret. We had unique authorization to film what's going on here. Unique, just like the new technological image of the Russian Armed Forces, that we and the whole world are seeing right now here in Syria. It makes quite an impression. The Russian Army looks like it’s in fighting shape.

Grigory Vdovin, Andrey Stiforov, and Oleg Solovyev Vesti — News of the Week, Khmeimim Air Base.