Russian EW and foreign press: a sensation with exposure
Interesting story started the week before last. 14 April, on the eve of the Day of the Specialist of Electronic Warfare, the domestic TV channel "Russia 1" showed a report on the upcoming professional holiday. In the story entitled “Electronic warfare: how to neutralize the enemy without a shot” briefly described the latest achievements of the Russian defense industry in the field of EW systems, demonstrated new complexes of this kind and some quotes were cited. Such reports go to all professional holidays of the military and have not yet become a cause for excitement.
19 April on Russian television news reacted the British tabloid The Sun. The publication, widely known for its “hot” news, reviewed the plot of the Russia 1 channel in its corporate style and almost raised panic. The usual plot for the upcoming holiday was considered in the light of the “Russian threat” and not without sensational raid. An article from The Sun newspaper called “Shock tactics. United States bizarre propaganda report ("Shocking Tactics. Russia in a strange propaganda report claims it can destroy all the US Navy with just one" electronic bomb ") has attracted many readers .
In addition, this publication caught the eye of the authors of other publications, including the more serious ones and who had not previously shown a love of puffed sensations or “stuffing”. This was followed by a logical result. So, on April 20, the respected magazine Popular Mechanics posted on its official website the article “Don’t Buy the Reports About Russian Scary E-Weapons” weapons»), Which is a response to the publication of British journalists. The Sun has not yet responded to the response of the American publication, and, apparently, will not. Over the past few days, new interesting topics have appeared in the field of politics, celebrity life, etc.
The current situation looks very interesting. The Russian TV channel told about the successes of the domestic industry and the army, the British edition began to frighten the reader with these successes, and the American journalists, in turn, hurried to reassure the agitated public. Consider the latest publications of the three countries in more detail.
"Russia 1": how to neutralize the enemy without a single shot
The report of the Russian TV channel began with a reminder of the date. The holiday of EW specialists is celebrated on the anniversary of the first use of interference to suppress enemy communications. It happened back in 1904, during the Russo-Japanese War. It is noted that now the troops, "who do not need ammunition," can suppress not only communications, but also air defense systems or enemy satellites.
At the beginning of the plot, one of the newest domestic developments was shown - the small-sized complex of electronic warfare Lesochek. In a small, secure case, a noise generator is placed that suppresses the radio channels controlling explosive devices. It is argued that at the moment the Lesochek system is the most effective means of combating such threats.
The author of the report recalled that in the course of the latest armed conflicts, the importance of electronic warfare systems was clearly shown. Russia has similar funds. The existing systems are capable of providing cover for command posts, air defense systems, groupings of troops, as well as administrative and industrial facilities. To protect all necessary objects, it is possible to suppress ground-based radar systems, aviation Radar systems for early warning aircraft and even reconnaissance satellites.
Next, Russia 1 recalled the famous story involving the Russian Su-24 aircraft and the American destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG-75), which took place in the Black Sea in April 2014 of the year. As evidence of the effectiveness of the Russian Khibiny system, allegedly on board the aircraft, a well-known quote attributed to an unnamed member of the ship’s crew was given. In addition, the history that was actively discussed in the past was illustrated by the corresponding video sequence.
The subject of land-based electronic warfare complexes was also touched on. The authors of the report recalled the existence of the Murmansk system, capable of tracking the shortwave range and controlling the space in a radius of up to 5 thousand km. It was noted that this complex works precisely on those frequencies that are used by NATO headquarters in Europe.
As another proof of the effectiveness of the Russian EW - and recognition of this fact - the words of Brigadier General Frank Gorenka, who heads the European group of the US Air Force, were cited. Earlier, the general said that Russian electronic weapons completely paralyze American electronics on missiles, planes and ships.
The report ends with the famous thesis that radio-electronic warfare is a key element of modern warfare. To win, no costly means of destruction are needed - only powerful electromagnetic radiation of the required parameters can be sufficient.
The Sun: a shocking tactic and just one "electronic bomb"
His article “Shock tactics. United Kingdom journalist Tom Michael begins with a basic thesis: Russia claims it can, in one fell swoop, disable all the naval forces of the United States. for what plans to use powerful radio interference.
T. Michael refers to the reportage of the Russia 1 channel. He writes that in the next news story from a country where the media is actually controlled by the authorities, he was told about new technologies that make ships, aircraft and missiles useless.
The Sun freely quotes a Russian journalist: today, the personnel of electronic warfare units can find and neutralize any radio equipment installed on equipment or on spacecraft. T. Michael also spoke about the mention of a three-year-old incident with a Russian plane and an American ship. It is noted that several Su-24 spans past the destroyer were mentioned in the news story, during which the ship electronics were switched off and left their carrier without protection. In addition, the story of Russian journalists about the possibility of creating "electronic domes" on important objects, thanks to which they become invisible to enemy means of detection, is mentioned.
The British press also drew attention to the citation of the American General F. Gorenko. T. Michael, with reference to an unnamed representative of the US military department, writes that the commander of the Air Force in Europe has never made statements similar to the “Russian propaganda”.
The Sun points to a curious feature of Russian reporting. It is alleged that he appeared after US President Donald Trump sent an aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS ship Carl Vinson (CVN-70) to the shores of the Korean Peninsula. On board the aircraft carrier, according to the British tabloid, there are about a hundred aircraft, and the ship itself is accompanied by destroyers, cruisers and submarines.
T. Michael also mentions recent rumors of a possible carrier group headed by USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) to the Korean Peninsula region. The transition of two orders to the Sea of Japan should begin on the next week relative to the publication date, i.e. 24-30 April.
After the order to send the first carrier-based strike group to a new place to solve the assigned tasks, it became known that Russia and China were dragging their reconnaissance ships to the shores of two Koreas. The transfer of spy ships, as noted by T. Michael, is carried out in parallel with the statements of Vladimir Putin, who called on the United States to show restraint.
Popular Mechanics: there is no electronic bomb
Already on April 20, the American edition of Popular Mecanics responded to Kyle Mizokami, an expert in security, on the new sensation of the British "production" article by the author. This publication received a concise subtitle, revealing its whole essence: "There is no" electronic bomb "-" There is no "electronic bomb."
An article in Popular Mechanics begins with very bold statements. According to the author, the Russian report, quoted by the British tabloid, is an excellent example of "fake" - unreliable news, released for various purposes. At the same time, the article from The Sun is a “big pile” of allegations about the possibility of Russia “destroying” the American military fleet with just one “electronic bomb”. K. Mizokami argues that all this does not seem close to the truth, and immediately promises to explain why.
A Russian television report claims that electronic warfare forces can "neutralize any target," including "ship or satellite radar." Apparently, it meant the radar with synthetic aperture, used on spacecraft, aircraft, NATO ships and other platforms. Such locators, using radio waves, are able to form an image of targets in the air and on the ground. In this case, reminds an American expert, "neutralization" does not mean the destruction of something. In this situation, it is rather a matter of “jamming” detection devices and blinding them.
In the plot of the TV channel “Russia 1” one of the novelties in the arsenals of the Russian EW troops was demonstrated - a special device called “Lesochek”, made in the form of a suitcase. This complex, when operated, blocks radio commands sent from control panels to improvised explosive devices. K. Mizokami notes that such technical means are not new or rare. Such EW systems have been in service with the United States for more than ten years and still remain relevant.
The American author also dwelt on the statements of the Russian media about a breakthrough in the field of EW, which resulted in the emergence of promising means with the ability to counter reconnaissance satellites, ground-based radars and early warning aircraft. The report further mentioned an incident with Donald Cook and a Russian aircraft, during which the latter applied interference. K. Mizokami reminds that a bit later, in 2014, false messages appeared, according to which the radars of the ship were completely paralyzed by the Khibiny EW complex installed on the Su-24.
The story also stated that the Khibiny (a real-life system, the author notes) could “deactivate the systems of the entire ship.” According to other Russian news, 27 seamen from an American destroyer were so shocked by what happened that they resigned after these events. This is precisely the effect of the very “e-bomb” about which The Sun writes. However, as Popular Mechanics rightly recalls, the Khibiny complex is not dropped like a bomb, although it is suspended on the external pylons of the carrier.
Then the question is asked: is there at least a grain of truth in the information told in the Russian report? K. Mizokami refers to an article in the online publication War Is Boring, written by Michael Peck, who believes that such information does not correspond to reality. He asks a question: how did the Russian pilots find out that the radar of the Aegis ship complex was "cut down"? And then M. Peck reminds that the suppressed locator does not turn off. He continues to work, although he no longer can search for goals. In addition, the means of electronic warfare is extremely rarely used in peacetime against a potential enemy. The fact is that the enemy is able to detect the interference, analyze it and create countermeasures.
Further, the American expert reviewed reports on the Murmansk complex, capable of controlling the broadcast at distances up to 3200 miles. These complexes have been supplied to the Russian armed forces since last year. They can really find and suppress enemy communication signals. The result, according to Russian journalists, is like a kind of invisibility shield that covers the target object and impedes the work of enemy detection devices. K. Mizokami believes that such an EW system can indeed exist, but the description given of the “invisibility shield” looks overly bizarre.
The plot of "Russia 1" ended with a "pompous string": you do not need expensive weapons to win; To defeat you enough powerful radio-electronic interference. The author notes that such a thesis is not quite consistent with the previously told things. Earlier in the report it was said that EW can only block enemy detection systems and only hide their strength. However, to win the war, you need to kill the enemy and destroy his material part.
According to Kyle Mizokami, the plot of the Russian TV channel and the article by the British tabloid are a mixture of real facts and fiction. The Russian radio-electronic warfare troops really have in their arsenal powerful complexes for various purposes. Nevertheless, we must remember cranks who say that these complexes can win the war on their own or force other sailors to go ashore.
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The latest Russian developments in the field of armaments and military equipment regularly become “heroes” of publications in the foreign press. Articles and reports of domestic media also sometimes attract attention. However, cases where Russian journalists unwittingly provoke controversy among foreign colleagues are not too numerous and therefore are of great interest. That is exactly what happened with a recent report on the EW troops and their materiel.
It is not difficult to notice that the Russian plot “Radio-electronic confrontation: how to neutralize the enemy without a single shot” was released in connection with the professional holiday of radio-electronic warfare specialists and did not pursue the goal of fully revealing the existing situation, and also did not claim anything more. However, he was noticed in the UK, and the results are known.
The characteristic tone of the article “Shock tactics. United States newspaper The Sun perfectly demonstrates the desire of the publication to build a sensation, as they say, out of the blue. In this case, “under the hot hand” got the story dedicated to the Day of the experts of electronic warfare. The statements from this plot were considered from the point of view of current trends, as a result of which a specific publication appeared. Moreover, this article even managed to provoke other publications on a new wave of disclosures of “evil and aggressive Russians”.
The real voice of reason in this situation is the article “Don't Buy the Reports about the Life Mechanics of E-Weapons” from Popular Mechanics. Its author is trying to understand the reasons for the panic of British journalists, and comes to certain conclusions, which may even claim to be objective. However, it should be noted that K. Mizokami not only exposed the exaggerated sensation from The Sun, but also expressed certain complaints about the Russia 1 channel.
The reasons for the observed events are of the greatest interest in the context of mass and international discussion of Russian EW systems. Often, articles about the threatening successes of the likely adversary appear in connection with the desire of the military or the industry of individual countries to convince the public of the threat and to obtain allowances to the military budget. In this case, probably the reasons are different. The The Sun’s tabloid’s specific policies and reputation make it suspicious only of wanting to create a sensation consistent with current political trends, and thereby increase its ratings.
As for the magazine Popular Mechanics, his editorial board probably also decided to join the mass discussions, but to do it without loud sensations, having received its share of attention due to attempts to observe objectivity. With some reservations, it can be argued that this task was successfully completed.
In the calendar of the armed forces of Russia there are many professional holidays of various types of troops and types of armed forces. Before each of them, the domestic media are preparing thematic publications, stories, etc. Nevertheless, for some reason, the recent EW Specialist Day provoked an interesting, albeit ambiguous reaction of the foreign press. When it happens again to see such events, because of what they will begin and what topic is touched upon, time will tell.
The plot and the article "Electronic warfare: how to neutralize the enemy without a single shot":
http://vesti.ru/doc.html?id=2877851&2877851
Article “Shock tactics. US claims for a single electronic bomb in bizarre propaganda report:
https://thesun.co.uk/news/3360129/russia-wipe-out-us-navy-electronic-bomb/
The article "Don't Buy The Reports About Scary E-Weapons":
http://popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a26167/russia-secret-e-weapons/
- Ryabov Kirill
- The Sun / thesun.co.uk, "Russia 1"
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