Russian Cruise Missiles Hitting Iran???

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 17:58:39 -0400

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/10/08/report-iran-pushed-russia-intervene-syria-iraq/73565592/

Alright two questions: How do four missiles miss their target by that large of a distance, is the Russian military really that incompetent/outdated/poorly equipped? Really not by a couple miles but two countries away???

Secondly: Why does Russia have missile cruisers in a lake, the reports state they were fired from the Caspian sea, perhaps they meant to say the black sea.

Somehow in my mind I saw Russia as a capable adversary but that makes me question their abilities, thoughts?

Update: The missiles reportedly are Kalibr anti ship-sub, or land attack cruise missiles developed in 2012 as part of Russia's modernization efforts.

U.S.: Four Russian missiles miss Syrian targets, hit Iran

Russia's growing military activity in the region has raised worries that a mishap could trigger a wider war.

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Oct 8 at 2015 6:06 PM

SGM Erik Marquez — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 18:06:02 -0400

Pretty sure this is not going to end well, no matter the reason...be it intentional or mistake

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 8 at 2015 6:12 PM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 18:12:19 -0400

Only if it was unintentional. It depends on what they hit for whether or not I'd think one way or the other.

Response by CW4 Guy Butler made Oct 8 at 2015 6:22 PM

CW4 Guy Butler — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 18:22:20 -0400

1) best bet would be engine or navigation failure;

2) the Volga River connects the Caspian Sea via canals and other rivers to the Black and Baltic Seas.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Oct 8 at 2015 6:32 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 18:32:32 -0400

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member the missiles were fired from north of Iran and probably flew too low and impacted in the Zagros Mountains or other mountainous areas of western Iran. The northern border of the lake which is actually the Caspian Sea is in Russia with Azerbaijan to the west, etc.
Somebody could ask why we have naval vessels in the great lakes.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 8 at 2015 6:37 PM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 18:37:11 -0400

CPT Jaren Glober, unguided missiles fired from the Caspian Sea, for starters.

Response by SGT Jerrold Pesz made Oct 8 at 2015 6:50 PM

SGT Jerrold Pesz — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 18:50:45 -0400

I would guess that the missiles hit exactly where they were aimed. Why I don't know.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 8 at 2015 7:29 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 19:29:58 -0400

My bet would be on very poorly trained personnel putting the wrong info into the guidance system. But I know nothing about missiles, so my opinion is for grins and giggles only.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Oct 8 at 2015 7:49 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 19:49:46 -0400

This should give Putin pause in his dreams of returning Russia to its former "glory"...

Response by COL Jon Thompson made Oct 8 at 2015 8:52 PM

COL Jon Thompson — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 20:52:07 -0400

It could be disinformation from the US government to embarrass Putin and show that his military is not all that he wants it to be. That is my conspiracy theory behind this. In reality, I have no doubt that the US government officials that released this information did it exactly for that reason. They want to discredit the Russian military which would embarrass Putin.

Response by SPC David S. made Oct 8 at 2015 11:16 PM

SPC David S. — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 23:16:19 -0400

Must have been set to a-hole and Iran was closer.

Response by SrA Art Siatkowsky made Oct 8 at 2015 11:43 PM

SrA Art Siatkowsky — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 23:43:23 -0400

Do we have the tech to mess with their guidance? I havent been keeping up with what we do and dont have…. Other than the navys laser cannons.. 2 thumbs up for those.

Response by COL Ted Mc made Oct 9 at 2015 2:07 AM

COL Ted Mc — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 02:07:51 -0400

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member - Captain; You have to remember that the Russians were the ones for whom "At a certain point 'quantity' becomes 'quality'." was invented to describe.

Given the general reliability of Russian military hardware, having only 4 out of 26 missiles malfunction the very first time that they were used in combat isn't all that bad.

However, you should remember that the missiles did not overshoot their targets they "fell short" and that's one of the things that cruise missiles do when their engines pack it in.

One really good reason for having guided missile launching platforms in a lake is that it makes it REALLY hard for enemy submarines to get at them.

Response by Cpl Mark McMiller made Oct 9 at 2015 2:43 AM

Cpl Mark McMiller — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 02:43:28 -0400

We should encourage Russia to fire more of them. =)

Response by PO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 9 at 2015 7:05 AM

PO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 07:05:29 -0400

Iranian: Is the American!!! They hack the system!!!
Russian: Absolutely not American! we punch in the wrong coordinates.
American: huh?? (we are looking at each other) did you do that?

Response by MSgt Curtis Ellis made Oct 9 at 2015 11:03 AM

MSgt Curtis Ellis — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 11:03:45 -0400

Juussstttt a bit outside... Ball 2...

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Oct 9 at 2015 11:11 AM

SSG Warren Swan — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 11:11:44 -0400

"Somehow in my mind I saw Russia as a capable adversary but that makes me question their abilities, thoughts".... Sir I can't really speculate on the first two. Not informed enough, but on the quoted part....make a tank that runs, then come see us. I wouldn't sleep on the Russian military too much, but when it comes to technology, I'm sure one of our old Sheridan's could handle most of their stuff. Technology wise, they're no contest. Sheer will, it would be interesting, but they'd still loose.
http://www.newsweek.com/russias-hot-new-tank-breaks-down-during-victory-day-rehearsals-329540

Response by 1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 9 at 2015 11:46 AM

1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 11:46:39 -0400

I had no idea that they were producing this quality of missile. I was glad to hear that several crashed.

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Oct 9 at 2015 11:47 AM

SCPO David Lockwood — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 11:47:57 -0400

Th U.S. needs to keep an eye on Russia.

Response by SGT Jeremiah B. made Oct 9 at 2015 11:50 AM

SGT Jeremiah B. — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 11:50:09 -0400

I'm not terribly concerned about their military capabilities. They can't afford to field much of their newest stuff. I'm more concerned with the psychopath in charge and that any confrontation between us would end in nukes the moment the writing was on the wall for them conventionally.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 9 at 2015 11:56 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 11:56:25 -0400

it does appear that they are all talk however we can never underestimate their power.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 9 at 2015 11:58 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 11:58:07 -0400

A 15% failure rate is pretty damning.
Interesting that they have cruise missile-capable vessels in the Caspian Sea - basically a lake - but one that the US can't reach easily. The volume of this volley suggests a squadron of three to five vessels.

Response by SGT Francis Wright made Oct 9 at 2015 1:02 PM

SGT Francis Wright — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 13:02:31 -0400

Pretty sure the Russians don't care. Because if the Iranians say anything; they will just castrate their Ambassador.

Response by COL Ted Mc made Oct 9 at 2015 9:34 PM

COL Ted Mc — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 21:34:21 -0400

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member - Captain; An update - according to the latest reports, the Russian missiles which DID work hit with a high degree of accuracy (although how the reporting agency [the US military] knew the exact aiming point is slightly beyond my ken) - some were reported to be within 3 metres of there target. Having a large bang go off about 10 feet from exactly where you wanted it to go off after a flight of several hundred miles is generally regarded as fairly good shooting.