Report: Russia to deliver combat jets to Syria
Business daily Kommersant cites source close to Russia's Rosoboronexport state arms trader, that $550-million deal envisages delivery of 36 Yak-130 aircraft.
By The Associated Press Tags: Syria UN Bashar AssadRussia has signed a contract to sell combat jets to Syria in a show of support for President Bashar Assad's regime, a newspaper reported Monday.
The business daily Kommersant said, citing a source close to Russia's Rosoboronexport state arms trader, that the $550-million deal envisages the delivery of 36 Yak-130 aircraft. A spokesman for Rosoboronexport refused to comment on the report.
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Russia President Dmitry Medvedev, right, and Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus last year. |
| Photo by: AP |
If confirmed, the deal would mark an open defiance of international efforts to put pressure on Assad's regime, which has faced broad condemnation for its brutal crackdown on an uprising. The UN says more than 5,400 people have died over 10 months.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last week that Moscow doesn't consider it necessary to offer an explanation or excuses over suspicions that a Russian ship had delivered munitions to Syria despite an EU arms embargo.
Lavrov told a news conference that Russia was acting in full respect of international law and wouldn't be guided by unilateral sanctions imposed by other nations.
He accused the West of turning a blind eye to attacks by opposition militants and supplies of weapons to the Syrian opposition from abroad and warned that Russia will block any attempt by the West to secure United Nations support for the use of force against Syria.
Russia has been a strong ally of Syria since Soviet times when the country was led by the president's father Hafez Assad. It has supplied Syria with aircraft, missiles, tanks and other modern weapons.
The Yak-130 is a twin-engined combat trainer jet that can also be used to attack ground targets. The Russian air force has recently placed an order for 55 such jets.
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The headline screams "combat jets", only the last paragraph admits that it is a trainer aircraft. Then "that can also be used to attack ground targets", but I see no qualified information that the aircraft for Syria will be equipped accordungly.Finally, until now we have no reports that Assad uses his air force against insurgents; if he does then his present inventory is more than sufficient; he need nor wait for planes that will be mission-ready in one or two years after delivery.
I will sell it to the best bidder...whatever, my body, my aircraft. This is pure prostitution.
Take for instance the international efforts to end the illegal settlements on the premise that they are in violation of international law, but Israel simply ignores that fact and the US continues to support them. Also every internationally recognized and respected HR organizations reports on Israel's violations of human rights and the US continues to supply Israel with weapons, even though it is in violation of it's own domestic law..."No weapons to countries that are repeated violators of human rights"!
Take for instance the international efforts to end the illegal settlements on the premise that they are in violation of international law, but Israel simply ignores that fact and the US continues to support them. Also every internationally recognized and respected HR organizations reports on Israel's violations of human rights and the US continues to supply Israel with weapons, even though it is in violation of it's own domestic law..."No weapons to countries that are repeated violators of human rights"!
As soon as all Russian arms shipments have arrived and the troops are trained, it'll be the 1967 War all over again. This time my faith is in The Almighty, who will defend His land and His people. It may not yet be Armageddon, but the Arab world will certainly get a taste of divine retribution. then the whole world will know what they were up against all along.
And the arms trade marches inexorably on, lining the pockets of the death merchants as people die all over the world...
Realpolitik eventually leads to an acknowledgement, even by allies, that they should bet on another horse. What makes so powerful Russia become so obsessed with Assad's regime survival? Russia isn't Iran, isn't it?
Yak-130 is a light trainer not a state of art. I believe Assad purchased them to keep aid of Russia.That is not a secret,Syrian Air forces is already broken and can not fly due to lack of spare parts. Those planes wont save Syria.They are bought just as a bribe.Nothing else.
Unfortunately it looks like Assad is on his way out which will be bad for regional stability but for Russia getting to buddy buddy with Assad at this current time is a mistake because since the end of the cold war Russia's only remaining naval base in the Mediterranean is the Syrian port is Tartus. If the Russians look like they have been supporting Assad during a revolution to oust him then when he is gone the new regime might end up kicking the Russians out of Tartus. Keep the support for Assad behind the scenes and when its all over the new regime will probably just leave Russia & their base alone but support Assad to publicly and Russia will come to represent part of the enemy camp.
Realpolitik eventually leads to an acknowledgement, even by allies, that they should bet on another horse. What makes so powerful Russia become so obsessed with Assad's regime survival? Russia isn't Iran, isn't it?
Are you serious..Is that to help Bashar to kill more people who are aready dieing daily . IS this a REWARD Russia ....
syria is a junkyard for russia
Thank you Russia, thank you for standing up to these globalist maniacs hell bent on destruction and death...Israel's puppeteers are losing the battle against the good people of the world , raise the white flag and lets have some piece for gods sake, there has been enough deaths because of you!!
Welldone , Russia ! Real friend only in need you can know! Thank you !
NATO played fast and loose with the Libyan No-Fly Zone...which became Linebacker III and regime change. So now they'll oppose anything and everything.
I don't think it's only about that. It's raw capitalism. They see a sale, and they take it. No matter who continues to rule no matter the consequences they fill their coffers. And they make sure the new regime won't be using but russian stuff because a change would be quite expensive.
Rogue regimes like Syria & Iran can deal directly out of desperation with cash-chasing countries like Russia & China and not have to worry in the least about appalling human rights records, and they can even further count on veto support at the UN., as long as they're good for the money.
Selling any kind of weapons to Syria at the time of Assads massacres of his one people says Russia is unfit to remain as part of the quartet. After all, US and EU states sell arms to both Arab and Israelis, UN of course does neither, but Russia has embargoed arms sales to Israel for six decades, only arms Arab abd Muslim states, strictly a pro-Arab anti-Israel state - they have no place in this "peace" group. Israel should boycott it until Russia is booted out.
And the new,freed Syria got them for free.Courtesy of Assad family.
Russia has 11 operational YAK-130's (one crashed in May 2010). Algeria has only 3 of these aircraft. And that's it! OK, Vietnam has ordered 8. Serbia and Uruguay are considering buying a few of the planes, and Libya has cancelled their order. All in all, this doesn't look like great demand, and certainly doesn't look like being a top class fighter (even if its prime purpose is for training). Me thinks this plane is a flop! I'm all for Syria buying more of them!
TO SHOW THEY ARE STILL THE SAME COUNTRY BEFORE GORBACHEF GAVE FREEDOM TO MOTHER RUSSIA WITH "PERISTROYKA" & GLASSNOST" As you say Joey J I too think the planes are just a bribe (useless at that) Just showing their bypartizanship toward Syria when the USA is doing the reverse..Whatever next will Russia think they can try to upset the DIRTY applecart against the US..They are losing the PLOT for sure..
It has a very limited payload options. and as far as I can understand it has no afterburner. any scud they have is about 10 times more dangerous.
You do not want to be in their sights when they do a gun run.
Russia definitely wants something more other than Assad remaining in power. What it is , I dont know.
The USA has massive influence in this region, and with the Arab dictatorships gone, there is a bit of an open field. Sure Syria is no great prize in this battle for influence, but Russia has nothing to lose. Anyway what's a few subsonic trainers this way or the other.
And what does the so-called west want ??? or should i say the those scumbag globalists ??
EASY... WHAT IT IS :JUST POWER POLITICS AND ONE UPPMENSHIP to the USA...
Russia definitely wants something more other than Assad remaining in power. What it is , I dont know.
Russia wants a foothold in Syria,no matter the shouting & screaming of the West.
İt can also be used against israel eygpt is now enemy lebenon is also enemy turkey is also enemy so we can find oth countries it is a circle that full of danger
Well, Putin is a state terrorist, we saw that in Chechnya, he's guilty of war crimes. So its not a surprise that he should support another terrorist like Assad and keep him in power.
Well, Putin is a state terrorist, we saw that in Chechnya, he's guilty of war crimes. So its not a surprise that he should support another terrorist like Assad and keep him in power.
As you say: Milking Assad dry as much as possible. More to come..
what can you expect of the Russian; mercenaries to the core! they never respected the HHRR of anyone, why should they do it now?
Iran also gave Syria another boost last Wednesday. According to Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency, with the commander of Iran's Quds Force, Brig. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, said Assad's government enjoys public support and won't collapse.
Israel would like to be in a position to call all the shots in the mideast through the use of their American proxy. This is an ambitious goal and one that has caught the attention of Russia. If there is to be another large mideast war, there will be ample pain for all, including Israel.
At last some good news. I just hope that Russia fulfilled their contract with Iran for supply of Missile defence system. Lets all live in hope that Putin will support these countries against America and Israel!
Syria'seconomy is shattered. Their currency is rapidly becoming worthless. How are they gonna pay for the aircraft? Secondly, Syria has no airforce worth speaking of. In a war, their existing ariforce would be destroyed in a matter of hours... far quicker than in the 6-day war.
The Syrian soldier is proud and they are worthy fighters. We gave you Israelis a big hiding in 1948, 1967 and in 1974. Our bravery makes us are unbeatable, even though we have a small airforce. (All this is a fact and is well known... our great leader has told us this.) Down with Israel! Down with America! Allah Akbar!!
It would be nice practice for Israeli Air Force to take this russian junk out. These planes will never leave the tarmac. They will burn on the ground like in 1967.
They are absolutely arming Assad/Syria to the teeth, I guess if this prevents a larger war/conflict it is a good thing.
.......or does deal not include the engine ;-)
It's a training-combat aircraft. No good against Israel or Turkey, very good against insurgents (better than Embraer Super Tucano).
I guess it doesn't include wings also.
israel would be the first, however I dont see US cutting off its weapon aid to israel. dont use doublestandards!
Assad will run away quicker
that you were Syrian, what part of my country do you hail from friend?