Russian Experts Begin Research on Captured American “Smart∎ Missiles, Knocked Down Over Syria
The Russian military presented the evidence of the successful operation of Syrian air defense systems during the missile strike by the United States and its allies. Journalists were shown fragments of intercepted cruise missiles and told about the missiles that failed to hit the targets because of "malfunctions". And although Washington is confident that the strike was a complete success, the Defense Ministry reports that only 22 out of the 105 "smart missiles," as they were called by the US president, hit their targets.
Alexei Baranov saw and touched the evidence.
There were no burn marks, and the serial numbers were clearly visible. The condition of the fragments of the missiles launched by the coalition on April 14th means that they weren't destroyed by an explosion, but by the impact with the ground after they were intercepted by Syrian air defense systems. Holes made by shrapnel in the missile hulls are circled in white. Each fragment of a missile on this table is a piece of material evidence proving that the Syrian air defense systems are fully operational and that they are effective.
An air defense specialist from the Russian Ministry of Defense shows us the perfectly preserved guidance system of a Tomahawk cruise missile. Had it hit the target instead of having been intercepted, it's obvious that none of these large fragments would have remained intact.
Sergey Beznogikh: "When this cruise missile explodes upon impacting its target, this hardware is instantly destroyed. However, these plastic pieces are intact, and there are no burn marks, which indicates that this missile was intercepted by the air defense system".
In fact, today, the Russian Ministry of Defense documented the data collected right after the coalition's strike. No more than 22 missiles out of the 105 launched by the US and its allies hit their targets.
Sergey Rudskoy, Chief of Main Operational Directorate: "Most missiles were destroyed by Soviet air defense systems developed 40 years ago. Those systems were restored and modernized with the assistance of Russian experts. Russian specialists will continue to train Syrian servicemen and help master new air defense systems that will be supplied in the near future".
Experts believe that some missiles launched by the Western coalition failed to hit the targets due to technical problems.
Sergey Rudskoy: "Two of them, including a Tomahawk cruise missile and a high-precision air-to-surface missile, were transported to Moscow. Now they are being examined by Russian specialists. The results of this work will be used to improve Russian weapons".
The cruise missiles launched by the coalition didn't enter the Russian air defense system's zone of responsibility, unlike the two UAVs which had been detected and shot down by our specialists a mere 10 km from Khmeimim Air Base just the day before the coalition's strikes.
Alexei Baranov, Vasily Yurchuk and Stanislav Pletnikov for Vesti.