Russia's ** Putin made a lightning visit on the 6th, and flew to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia for a visit, although both countries have close military cooperation with the United States, but during this visit, they opened their airspace to Russia. Not only did the ** special plane Il-96 go unimpeded, but what is even more surprising is that the Russian Aerospace Forces 4 Su-35 also enjoy the same treatment, and they also crossed Iranian airspace halfway, and finally the Su-35, which was escorted by live ammunition throughout the whole process, landed with the special plane.
Su-35 live-fire escort
It can be said that the Su-35 fighter jet is rarely escorted all the way to the host country by its own fighter planes when it goes out as a guest in diplomatic occasions, and at most the host country sends fighters to greet them, not to mention that the escort fighters also carry live ammunition into the country. All kinds of rare ultra-high-standard courtesies completely exceed the conventional security requirements, but for Russia, the Middle East is a bit chaotic, and a large number of US troops are stationed around, so 4 planes and 16 missiles are here for them.
Of course, if the Americans really don't care about doing things, only 4 advanced fighters of the Russian army will not be able to resist for long, but the problem is that these 4 fighters ** means war against Russia. Russia has a nuclear arsenal that the entire West trembles about, and if everyone turns their faces, the world will cease to exist, so if Europe and the United States want to take advantage of the general situation to do things, at most they will not dare to make a small provocation. The symbolism is greater than the substance, of course, the world is a little chaotic, especially in the context of the collective West's support for Ukraine to suppress Russia, it is more appropriate to provide more security guarantees for special planes.
Air escort
Pick-up
Warmly welcome the Russian Aerospace Forces to dispatch 4 Su-35 fighters at a time, second only to the Su-57 in performance, capable of challenging the ** fifth-generation aircraft, this escort carrier carries 4 air-to-air missiles for a total of 16. As can be seen from the public ** picture, including two R-77 medium-range air-to-air missiles, with an effective range of about 100 kilometers, it has the ability to ignore after launch. In addition, there are two R-73 close-range combat missiles, similar to the American AIM-9 "Sidewinder" missile, with an effective range of about 30 kilometers. 4 machines and 16 missiles can not solve a big problem, but it is still enough for conventional force deterrence, in the US "War Zone" ** report, the Su-35 escort is not only a show of force to the region, but also a sales strategy.
Putin's visit to the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, mainly to discuss the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and cooperation with the two countries, is also Putin's fifth and most risky foreign trip since the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for him in March this year. Previous visits to China, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan are all friendly countries of Russia, but this time the UAE and Saudi Arabia are both allies of the United States, and both countries have US bases, so this visit is also considered to be Russia's desire to regain its position in global politics.
Su-35 escort
R-77 medium-range air-to-air missile
The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia not only agreed to open their airspace to the R-77 medium-range bomb and R-73 close-range bomb, but also gave Russia a very high-standard reception, at least to show that although the United States can control the Middle East militarily, it cannot prevent Middle Eastern countries from developing cooperative relations with Russia. At the same time, the Su-35 made a high-profile flight display throughout the whole process, and there is also a possibility that the aircraft was recommended to the United Arab Emirates and other countries, and the visit through Iranian airspace was meaningful. After all, Iran has just confirmed the purchase of a large number of Russian-made **, including Su-35 fighter jets, at this time it is also a demonstration of strength and performance, and it is not clear that in the future, Middle Eastern countries will set off a procurement frenzy.
Iranian painted Su-35 fighter high-quality author list