The debris is beginning to settle after the dynamic US strike on Iran’s nuclear weapons sites. Operation Midnight Hammer, an incredible demonstration of US military power – and Israeli operations before it – have made plain the fragility of Russian air defence systems. These events will be shaking the very foundations of the Russian military.
The simple fact is that Israeli jets have been operating at will in Iranian airspace for some time. Now a huge US strike package including seven B-2 bombers, 75 cruise missiles and no doubt numerous other jets have arrived without difficulty, delivered 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrators with pinpoint accuracy. All of this has been completely unaffected by Iranian air defences based around Russian S-300 missiles, Russian fighter jets and a Russian concept of operations. This has to be causing panic in Moscow.
The war in Ukraine has been very different from that between Iran and Israel. Above Ukraine the air defenders – or “cloud punchers” as they’re known in the British forces – seemingly rule the skies. Neither side dares to send aircraft even near the enemy front lines, let alone across them: Russian jets manage to deliver effective strikes using standoff glide bombs and cruise missiles, and Ukraine has retaliated with drones and limited supplies of long-ranging Western missiles. The mission of Suppression of Enemy Air Defences, which has been carried out so effectively by Israel against Iran, has proved unachievable for both sides. But it is clear that it can be done, at least by well-equipped Western nations against Russian defences – and that will be striking fear into Putin’s heart. Russia to be sure has moved on to the more capable S-400 (and in some cases the very newest S-500), but the S-400 was merely an upgrade to the S-300 and the S-500 is probably more hype than substance.
The Russian dictator and his advisers must now have realised that their defences could easily be suppressed if the Ukrainians – or another opponent such as Nato – had the right tools.
Of course we have come to understand that Putin and the Russian high command have virtually no regard for casualties. We have just seen over one million Russian military dead and wounded in Ukraine. But we can be sure that Putin and his generals will be concerned for their own personal safety. The comprehensive US and Israeli intelligence networks that we have seen in Iran – which even allow them to pinpoint and assassinate key leaders and nuclear scientists almost at will – will have terrified the Kremlin hierarchy, the more so as Ukraine appears to have similar reach inside Russia. Operation Spider’s Web, in which Russia’s strategic air fleet was decimated several times over, stands testament to their effectiveness.
It is now even clearer that America has total overmatch against Russia’s forces, and if Trump chose to he could inflict total battlefield defeat on Putin – or eliminate him personally – by equipping Ukraine with the same weapons that Israel has.
Hopefully, now Trump is buoyed by his success in Iran, this demonstration of superior military power to the Kremlin – backed by some suitably robust messaging – will convince Putin to come to the negotiation table. If Trump achieves this, he may well get the Nobel peace prize he so covets, and he would deserve it.
The debris is beginning to settle after the dynamic US strike on Iran’s nuclear weapons sites. Operation Midnight Hammer, an incredible demonstration of US military power – and Israeli operations before it – have made plain the fragility of Russian air defence systems. These events will be shaking the very foundations of the Russian military.
The simple fact is that Israeli jets have been operating at will in Iranian airspace for some time. Now a huge US strike package including seven B-2 bombers, 75 cruise missiles and no doubt numerous other jets have arrived without difficulty, delivered 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrators with pinpoint accuracy. All of this has been completely unaffected by Iranian air defences based around Russian S-300 missiles, Russian fighter jets and a Russian concept of operations. This has to be causing panic in Moscow.
The war in Ukraine has been very different from that between Iran and Israel. Above Ukraine the air defenders – or “cloud punchers” as they’re known in the British forces – seemingly rule the skies. Neither side dares to send aircraft even near the enemy front lines, let alone across them: Russian jets manage to deliver effective strikes using standoff glide bombs and cruise missiles, and Ukraine has retaliated with drones and limited supplies of long-ranging Western missiles. The mission of Suppression of Enemy Air Defences, which has been carried out so effectively by Israel against Iran, has proved unachievable for both sides. But it is clear that it can be done, at least by well-equipped Western nations against Russian defences – and that will be striking fear into Putin’s heart. Russia to be sure has moved on to the more capable S-400 (and in some cases the very newest S-500), but the S-400 was merely an upgrade to the S-300 and the S-500 is probably more hype than substance.
The Russian dictator and his advisers must now have realised that their defences could easily be suppressed if the Ukrainians – or another opponent such as Nato – had the right tools.
Of course we have come to understand that Putin and the Russian high command have virtually no regard for casualties. We have just seen over one million Russian military dead and wounded in Ukraine. But we can be sure that Putin and his generals will be concerned for their own personal safety. The comprehensive US and Israeli intelligence networks that we have seen in Iran – which even allow them to pinpoint and assassinate key leaders and nuclear scientists almost at will – will have terrified the Kremlin hierarchy, the more so as Ukraine appears to have similar reach inside Russia. Operation Spider’s Web, in which Russia’s strategic air fleet was decimated several times over, stands testament to their effectiveness.
It is now even clearer that America has total overmatch against Russia’s forces, and if Trump chose to he could inflict total battlefield defeat on Putin – or eliminate him personally – by equipping Ukraine with the same weapons that Israel has.
Hopefully, now Trump is buoyed by his success in Iran, this demonstration of superior military power to the Kremlin – backed by some suitably robust messaging – will convince Putin to come to the negotiation table. If Trump achieves this, he may well get the Nobel peace prize he so covets, and he would deserve it.