Topic: Russia Military Modernization
[Url]http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE5471KF20090508?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0[/Url]
the background:
Basically Russia's military has shown significant weaknesses during last years war in Georgia. much of its equipment is from the soviet-era.
lack of drones meant Russia actually sent out a Tu-22m bomber to reconnoiter which got shot down by a Georgian SAM.
lack of precision smart bombs & missiles meant Russia's capability from the air was significantly reduced.
Many of Russia's vehicles were old- and obsolete. Ever wondered why Russian soldiers sit on the outside of vehicles such as the BMP1/BMP2? a single RPG hit was shown in Chechnya to be able to lethal in most cases, with poor fuel tank design & weak protection created a fireball inside.
Russia has BMP3 IFVs in service but none were seen in Georgia.
Units got lost due to lack of GPS. Russia has yet to bring its own GPS system operational as it needs to launch more satellites in orbit.
Russia's communication equipment was Soviet-era.
Tanks deployed were often old kit, presumably pulled out of reserve, many broke down en route- on footage I saw numerous T62m tanks in use. which is a 60's era design, modernized (hence 'm') in the 1980s.
T72 tanks seemed to be the mainstay of the force but no sign of Russia's latest tank the T90- its only in service in small numbers. (the T90 itself is basically an advanced T72 with many features from the T80- but its only a stopgap before a newer design comes along)
Russia used Su-24 attack aircraft, though state-of-the-art in the 70s & 80's they are now growing old. its replacement the Su-34 has only just recently entered service (even though the prototype first flew shortly before the collapse of the USSR)
As for troops- many in Georgia were militia or cossack irregulars. as for Officers many are not capable for combat operations.
Russia's military is only 1/4 the size of the 4.5 million Soviet military and isnt significantly more advanced in technology. most are still poorly trained badly motivated conscripts.
the period from 1992-2002 saw the dark days for the Russian economy and therefore its vast military went into major decline. for instance in 1983 the Red Navy conducted over 200 nuclear submarine patrols, by 2002 most of the fleet were idle in dock & conducted no patrols. dozens of older subs just rusted away. with no money to scrap them.
the Russian airforce faced similar problems with pilots recieving little training due to lack of funds, planes sat idle. equipment not maintained.
now:
under Putin & now Medvedev Russia is modernizing its military. the intent to make it smaller, more mobile, more modern and more capable.
new IFVs are being introduced, new tank support vehicle the 'Terminator' is introduced.
Russia is upgrading its soviet nuclear weapons. including a new 'stealth' design to avoid missile shields.
new submarines & ships to replace obsolete designs.
Officers now face strict tests - up to half face being fired.
Its own GPS system is on its way.
Russia is creating a Professional army as time & time again conscripts have proved to be inferior. (in chechnya Russian conscripts were pwned by rebels who were afghan veterans)
Russia has seen how powerful the US army has been with professional troops, modern equipment and efficient structure has been in Iraq and Afghanistan and Medvedev is keen on emulating this. But the army is resistant to change.
