US war planners are still in shock – Russia’s small ships pack plenty of cruise missile heat

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Russia’s small ships pack plenty of cruise missile heat

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By James Rogers
In this photo made from the footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015, a Russian navy ship launches a cruise missile in the Caspian Sea. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
The small naval ships used in Russia’s cruise missile attack on Islamic State positions in Syria last week have generated plenty of buzz among defense experts.

“It’s unique that they are putting [these missiles] on small ships,” Eric Wertheim, author of the Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, told FoxNews.com. “The U.S. needs to be aware that we do not have a monopoly on high-tech weapons.”

Russia’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that missile ships Dagestan, Grad Sviyazhsk, Uglich, and Veliky Ustyug launched a series of missiles against ISIS infrastructure in Syria from the Caspian Sea last week. “The firing was conducted by high-precision ship missile systems Kalibr NK, the cruise missiles of which engaged all the assigned targets successfully and with high accuracy,” said the Ministry, in a Facebook post on Oct. 7. Dagestan served as the flagship of the strike group.

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The Dagestan, which is more than 328-feet long, has a displacement of about 2,000 tons, according to the Ministry of Defence. The smaller Grad Sviyazhsk, Uglich, and Veliky Ustyug are over 230 feet in length with displacements of 1,000 tons, respectively.

Experts believe that the 26 missiles launched were land-attack versions of Russia’s SS-N-27 anti-ship missile, similar to a Tomahawk cruise missile.

Wertheim explained that the smallest ships carrying similar missiles in the U.S. Navy are about 9,000 tons. “The smallest ship in the U.S. Navy to carry a Tomahawk missile would be destroyer size – that’s about 10 times the size [of the Russian ships],” he told FoxNews.com.
However, the expert says that firepower of Russia’s small missile ships should not be over-estimated. “The small size of the ship does not necessarily make it more or less of a danger,” he said. “It uses the very protected waters of the Caspian Sea – you’re unlikely to see these making frequent Atlantic crossings.”…More Here

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