2/3/2007
This article is a catalogue of typical Russian military equipment failures, and a reminder that Russia is not America. Way before Communism, the Russians acquired an evil reputation for being absolutely no good at the social organisation of supply and control of just about every thing a modern societies needs. Communism did not make much difference in this respect, see the books of Solzhenitsyn. Before the 19th century the Russian mind was positively mediaeval. As distinct from central Europe, there had been had virtually no growth beyond feudalism and serfdom. This caste of mind is still a ghostly presence which haunted the total collapse of Communism in the 1990s. The Russians, because of their social organisation and over-bureaucratic inclination, have no talent for getting a can of beans from point A to point B. This is reflected in their military thinking. Yes they are just about adequate at the teeth end, but their systems of supply and demand are very bad, especially as concerns their sale of military equipment to foreign countries, where time and again they fall down as regards training and supply of spare parts and munitions. At the moment they are trying hard to form just one carrier battle group, and whilst they have built a rather fragile show-piece in the form of the Moskva, the Black Sea Fleet's flagship missile cruiser, it spends most its time in a Syrian port rather than on active patrol, and already its missile system is completely obsolete.
The failure to rebuild the Admiral Gorshkov, a 44,750 tonne Kiev class aircraft carrier for the Indian navy is a typical complete mess. It will never sail, or if it does it will never fire a shot in anger. Carriers have to be absolutely perfect as regards operation. They are particularly vulnerable to the very slightest lack of concentration, the slightest technical malfunction, equipment failure, or bad design. As in a submarine, there are no second chances with tiny spaces packed with fuel, aircraft, weapons, and munitions, all almost inches away from one another. The chance of the Gorshkov ever becoming operational with three squadrons of state-of-the-art supersonic fighter is frankly, nil.
They would be far better off buying the USS Kittyhawk and letting Israel and the U.S. refit the ship with electronics and hardware respectively.
The spectacle of Russia trying to be America would be comic if it were not for the dangers involved.
CB
For an equivalent catalogue of woe regarding Britain's air, land, and sea defence follies, see http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/simon_jenkins/article3423663.ece
See also Colin Bennett's Essay How the Russians Ripped Off the Arabs, http://www.combat-diaries.co.uk/diary30/Russia%20rips%20off%20arabs.htm
See Military Supplement http://www.combat-diaries.co.uk/diary30/military%20Supplement%202.htm