Russian strategic bombers, Tu-95MS and Tu-160, took part in the Syria operation. According to the account of the operation given to the president by the military (see the video above at 5:10), the operation so far involved 5 Tu-160 bombers and 6 Tu-95MS (based in Engels), as well as 14 Tu-22M3 (based in Mozdok). The bombers (probably only Tu-160 and Tu-95) are said to have launched 34 long-range cruise missiles.
I may be wrong, but it well may be the very first use of Tu-95MS and Tu-160 in combat. Tu-22M3 bombers have been used before - in Afghanistan and in Georgia in 2008 (I'm not sure about Chechnya).
The whole thing is well worth watching. At some point (12:30) the president instructs the commander of the Moskva cruiser, deployed in the Mediterranean, to establish contact with the French aircraft carrier group and to "work with them as allies".
But what a weird setting, this war room! What's up with all these neat rows of officers in color-matched uniforms looking at their computers? Flowers add a nice touch too.
The book
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New ALCM are shown by the Russian MoD Official TV in connection with yesterday's strikes against ISIL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZLjjTLWLy1k
source:
http://tvzvezda.ru/news/vstrane_i_mire/content/201511181516-9i6s.htm
Next strikes today (+12 long-range cruise missiles):
http://function.mil.ru/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12066265@egNews
Very fake. Not even a single PC is on in front of the officers, except maybe the one controlling the pre-prepared stuff on the big screen
Putin is struggling to stay awake :)
to Topol-M:
Yes, Putin's yawning was noted by all observers... Second series today...
What ALCMs were used at strikes in Syria:
http://forums.airforce.ru/attachments/sovremennost/68045d1448078877-0_14f7c4_d9ffa8cb_orig.jpg/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pAx4STyzHY&feature=player_embedded
Really? Topol-m. You honestly think the computers are fake?
Alexander,
thanks a lot for posting this table about ALCM launches and air sorties between Nov.17-20.
There actually is a mismatch between the numbers of ALCM launches mentioned for the 17th of Nov. The slide indicates 24 launches (16 kh-101 and 8 kh-555) but the MOD news report indicates 34 ALCMs (here: http://eng.mil.ru/en/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12066124@egNews).
Interestingly, the actual number of air sorties and targets struck for that day is the same (127/206) in both sources.
Any idea about how to explain this discrepancy?
Thanks a lot!
Ryan, sorry I can't work out if you're being funny or not :)
Having been in a war room during a war (Gulf war 1) and having been in many others during exercises - yes.
They are organised chaos.
People on phones, intercoms, people running around, everyone hammering away on the computers that were in front of them, which in those days weren't that many to be honest - we had telex machines instead with encrypted messages etc. The noise was pretty incredible sometimes as people shouted information. Even in the ATC Ops room I work in now, twice the size of this one here, I can here things from the other side of the room as a low buzz of voices.
There's not a single guy using their computers in that room, except for maybe one who is controlling the (repeated) video clips. There's not a single word being said anywhere else.
The graphics alone would have taken a day to create
*** Hear things not here things ***