The Russian carrier group strikes in Syria: quid novi ?
The Russian carrier group has been engaged for the first time in its combat operations. On November 15, 2016, aircraft embarked on the aircraft carrier Amiral Kuznetsov engaged their first targets in Syria. Along with these strikes, the Russian army continues to test new equipment and naval platforms under operational conditions on the Syrian polygon. The loss of a MiG-29K however reminds us of the somewhat hasty circumstances in which this Mediterranean expedition was prepared.
"Plane to the sea"
PA Admiral Kuznetsov has been contributing for more than 48 hours to the operations of the Russian army in Syria. This commitment is new for the navy, which is conducting for the first time in its history operations of bombing of ground targets with its carrier group. Traditionally, the fleet relies on its missiles to strike targets on the surface or on shore, with sea / air breaks appearing as weak points (including the anti-aircraft defense of certain surface platforms).
The airborne group consisted of 2 MiG-29K and 2 MiG-29KUB, in addition to the Su-33s. Counting, because on November 14, a MiG-29K crashed at sea after failing to land on the PA. The pilot managed to eject and was recovered. The circumstances of this accident remain unclear. At this stage, technical error - related to mild maintenance conditions - and / or human error seem the most likely reasons. This type of accident had already occurred in September 2005 in the Atlantic, when a Su-33 had missed its landing and had ended up in the water. Again, it was a training flight and there the pilot had been recovered safe and sound. As was pointed out in a previous article, the training of pilots of the 100th Airborne Aviation Regiment flying on the "Kouze" - created in December 2015 - began in the spring of 2016 and lasted throughout Plus 4 months. According to some sources, 7 pilots (instructors and pilots) were trained on the ground simulator in Saki, Crimea. Their training seems to have paid for the delays in the construction of the Niska (land simulator) in Yisk (Krasnodar krai) and the hesitation of the navy to reinvest the Saki Crimean facilities. These delays could have lasted up to 6 precious months of training to the pilots.
Quid novi?
The videos broadcast on Russian television show the use of FAB-500 gravitational bombs by airplanes (video 1). The lack of precision of these ammunition can be improved by the SVP-24 Gefest guidance system mounted on the Su-33 and which will therefore be tested during this campaign. The strikes led by the Su-33s would have already allowed the neutralization of a certain number of activists of the former Jabhat al-Nosra in the region of Aleppo. It was also discussed that the MiG-29K / KUB test the guided missile Kh-38, but to date it does not seem to have been implemented. It is not yet clear to what extent the embedded MiG-29s actually contribute to operations in Syria.
Other systems were solicited for the first time: frigate Admiral Grigorovich (Project 11356M, Black Sea Fleet) fired its Kalibr missiles at these targets in the Hama and Idlib areas. The coastal battery Bastion also made shots of the Oniks missiles, not against targets on the surface, but against terrestrial targets. Both are the first operational use of these systems and armaments (video 2). The ability of the Bastion battery to take over terrestrial targets has not gone unnoticed by the Turks. The range of Oniks missiles fired against targets on land would be 400 km.
After this mission, the PA should return to IPER at the Zvezdotchka Shipyard (Severodvinsk) for long-awaited interviews and repairs.
yet in the day laborious imagine in the night 
