Fight in the area of the settlement of Al-Tabiya in the province of Deir ez-Zor, which took place on the night of 7 on 8 February this year. between the forces of the US-led coalition and, allegedly, pro-Assad detachments and Russian “private military specialists”, still in the top news, writes Vladimir Shcherbakov in “Independent Military Review”. Events are overgrown with new facts and conjectures, one after another, sensational theories and revelations appear. We will try to consider issues of a purely technical plan., who somehow stayed out of the way behind all this hype. In particular, why such a variety of U.S. Air Force combat aircraft were involved in this battle, including strategic bombers B-52H “Stratofortress”. according to “investigators”, these slow bombers could not quickly reach the battlefield, and therefore, someone warned the Americans about the attack. They started talking about betrayal, began to look for the culprits among “vagnerovtsev” or Syrians, and someone even saw the notorious “Moscow's hand”. However, the answer to this question lies on the surface - you just need to know, how does American aviation operate and what is it capable of?, and also listen carefully to one American general. But first things first.
“cobra” shows
All, recall, started with small news notes and posts on social networks, then the information shaft began to grow, a 13 February, the head of the US Central Command Air Force, Lieutenant General Jeffrey, added fuel to the fire “cobra” Harrigian. General during a press briefing, which he gave via video link from his headquarters at El Udeid airbase in Qatar, reported, that in the course of repelling an attack, undertaken by enemy forces up to a battalion with the support of tanks, cannon and rocket artillery, for more than three hours, ground artillery and aviation were involved, including reconnaissance and strike drones MQ-9, attack helicopters AN-64, multifunctional fighters F-22A, F-15E fighter-bombers, “ganships” AC-130 and B-52 strategic bombers. But he did not report the exact number of aircraft involved and the mass of aircraft dropped on the enemy.. Enemy, according to Harrigian, was defeated and retreated, having only lost about 100 human, as well as having suffered losses in weapons and military equipment.
Row “experts” and ordinary people, after seeing the long list of types of aircraft involved, immediately announced “planned action” (a series “they all knew” and “betrayed us”), and the presence of forces in the outfit “strategists” The B-52 was even considered for direct and immediate confirmation of their words..
allegedly, it was impossible so quickly - if you count “more than three hours” operational period of time - to pull up huge and not very high-speed strategic bombers into the battle area. Well no, just possible.
The thing is, that for a long time, within the framework of officially launched 15 June 2014 year of operation “Resoluteness”, whose main task is to fight the terrorist international in the Middle East (at least that's what the Pentagon has always said), as well as within operations, conducted by the US Armed Forces and their allies in Afghanistan, strategic bombers B-52H, and other aircraft of this class too, on a rotational basis are based in operational proximity to the zone of these operations at specially prepared airfields outside the continental United States (airbases) forward-based.
The latter have long been established by the Pentagon in the areas, close to crisis zones, by which, as we see, mainly today are the Greater Middle East and northeastern Africa. For the forward-based US Air Force strategic aircraft, that is, not only the B-52N, but also B-1B and B-2A, today at least four air bases can be used: El Udeid (Qatar), Diego Garcia (Chagos archipelago), Fairford (United Kingdom) and Andersen (the island of Guam). Moreover, these four bases are considered by the Pentagon as the main, and in all, in the European zone and the Indian and Pacific Oceans, take American strategic “bombers” on a temporary basis can be at least a dozen airfields.
If we talk about the operations of the US Armed Forces in the region we are considering (Afghanistan-Iraq-Syria), then two air bases are used for forward basing on a regular basis - El Udeid and Diego Garcia. Moreover, from the first B-52N they can strike at any target in the specified area without refueling.! Departing from Diego Garcia airbase, they will have to do at least one refueling.
To the Qatari airbase El Udeid, the first group of B-52H from the 2nd Bomber Wing, stationed at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, arrived 9 April 2016 of the year. Since then, the data “Strategy” are based here on a rotational basis, striking targets in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
“The B-52 will provide the coalition with continuous high-precision air support, - emphasized in connection with the arrival of the first group at the El-Udeid airbase “stratofortresses” in a statement by Lieutenant General Charles Brown Jr., the then head of the United States Central Command Air Force and at the same time the Commander of the Air Component (BBC) Joint group of forces of the western anti-terrorist coalition. - Introducing a multi-purpose platform, B-52 provides us with various possibilities, including the use of precision weapons, and also differs in flexibility of scenarios of combat use and long flight duration, what is so necessary to solve problems in the interests of unit commanders and to strengthen the coalition forces”.
Before, recall, the last time aircraft of the B-52 family were involved in forward basing in this region already in 1991 year, when they smashed Saddam Hussein's troops, flying from an airbase in Saudi Arabia. by the way, B-52H replaced B-1B strategic bombers at El Udeid airbase, who were stationed there before, striking terrorists. They have time to approach targets in Syria or Iraq, as you know, was significantly smaller due to higher speed: more 1300 km / h at high altitude versus order 1000 kmh, or even less, at B-52N in the same conditions.
“Strategist” on call
We emphasize, that for air support of ground forces, the use of the B-52N in the aforementioned and other similar operations is carried out not only, as many Russian experts believe, with the departure of aircraft located at these air bases in operational readiness upon receipt of the appropriate command (what, by the way, and became the reason for the emergence of assumptions that, that at the Pentagon everyone knew in advance and therefore carefully prepared), but also on call from a position of duty in the air, what is provided:
- long flight duration “strategists”. Suffice it to say, that during the flight on January 10-11 1962 of the year, the crew of the B-52H from the 4136th Strategic Air Wing under the command of Colonel Clyde Iveli set a world record for flight range without refueling (and plus more 10 other records, some of which have not yet been beaten), breaking more 20 thousand. km and holding out in the air for almost 22 o'clock. true, with a significant combat load, the flight duration will be reduced;
- due to the possibility of their refueling in the air, for which the US Air Force has several hundred air tankers at its disposal. Usually, for long flights, the first refueling of bombers in the air is performed three hours after takeoff., the second - 4-6 hours after the first, and for very long flights “Strategy” can be refueled up to 5-6 times. Moreover, refuelers can either follow the combat formations of bombers. (“refueling by escort method”), or expect “Strategy” in designated areas (“refueling by meeting on the route”).
The option of action on call from the position of air duty is by and large the main one in the course of conventional hostilities being conducted by the Americans in the Greater Middle East against a weaker enemy., unable to provide decent resistance to the forces of strategic aviation. This allows the command of the US Armed Forces to quickly and with the required intensity carry out the application of simultaneous and sequential, waves, air strikes against the enemy, not letting him literally raise his head.
This is the scenario in which American strategic bombers of all types have been operating from the very beginning of the Washington-inspired global military operation in the Greater Middle East - from the anti-Saddam campaign in Kuwait to today's fight against terrorists.. Although in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Americans often used strategic bombers from airbases permanently deployed in the continental United States. In particular, during the initial phase of the operation “Desert Storm” at 1991 B-52G aircraft from the 379th Bomber Wing flew from Wuertsmith Air Base, located in Michigan, attacked targets in Iraq, after which they landed at an airfield in Saudi Arabia and after 6 hours were ready to fly again.
Means for every taste
Summarizing all of the above, you can make a completely unambiguous conclusion: army commanders, operating directly in the area of contact with enemy forces, and even more so - the command of the US Armed Forces in the theater of operations, have a real opportunity to promptly call for help not only tactical, but also strategic aviation. In this case “Strategy” will launch missile and bomb strikes, including the use of high-precision weapons, on call, as a result of which air support can be provided to the unit that requested it within half an hour or an hour.
Until then, tactical and special-purpose aircraft will be no less effective to iron the enemy with bombs and small arms and cannon fire., such as the F-15E / S fighter-bombers “Strike Eagle”, light fighters of the F-16 family “Fighting Falcon” and “air gunboats” families AC-130, that, by the way, as a result of modernization, it is possible to use not only traditional guns and howitzers of different calibers, but also high-precision aviation ammunition (guided bombs and missiles).
Furthermore, for these purposes can be used and multifunctional fighters F-22A “Raptor”, which for some time have been successfully used not only for fighter cover, but also for the use of high-precision aviation ammunition against the most important or quickly detected enemy ground targets. So, In November 2017 of the year, during the next operation in Afghanistan, the American command first used the F-22A to defeat ground targets, used on the enemy guided bombs GBU-39 SDB caliber 250 pounds (OK. 113 kg). And, as reported later by the commander of the US Armed Forces in Afghanistan, four-star General John Nicholson, one of the F-22A was chosen literally at the last moment, since only the small-caliber high-precision bombs he had could solve a difficult task - to destroy two neighboring buildings in one of the courtyards, but do not let the third defeat, where there were “friendly forces”. The problem was solved by the pilot “Raptor” brilliantly.
Well, about “Apache” and reconnaissance and strike drones “predator” and “ripper” there is nothing to say - they are in the zone of any armed conflict with the participation of the American military in recent years, usually like dirt. Moreover, it is the MQ-9 drone “Ripper” destroyed that “Russian-made tank”, which is captured in a video walking on the Internet. But ... this tank was not destroyed 7 February or on the night of 7 on 8 February, when the fight in question was going on, and on Saturday - 10 February! And here is the calculation of the "Russian weapon" in another video, as it appears, was destroyed with an aerial bomb (most likely controlled), falling almost vertically oblong predatory body which is noticeable just before the explosion. Later, as a result of an investigation carried out using Google Maps “media activists” established, that the 122 mm M-30 howitzer at the time of destruction was in the center of the settlement of Hisham, located in 5 km south of the oil field, for which, probably, and the mentioned battle unfolded ...
It should also be noted, what if even the B-52N at the start of the battle in question were not on duty (expectations) in the air, while on duty at the Qatari airbase El Udeid, then taking into account the distance between two points (in a straight line from the air base to Deir ez-Zor through the airspace of friendly countries - about 1600 km), flight speed V-52N (maximum at height - about 1000 kmh, cruising - 800-840 km / h) as well as a high degree of readiness for departure (OK, for skeptics let it be half an hour), then we get, that since the beginning of the battle and the understanding of the forces and means introduced by the enemy into it and, accordingly, the arrival of the command to take off the crews “strategists” could be in the required area in about two and a half, or even in two hours. If the readiness was higher (minutes 10, eg), and the speed is about 1000 kmh, and the flight route is appropriate - without the need to bypass hostile airspace, then the flight time could be even less than two hours - closer to one and a half. Air- and increase or, recall, lasted more than three hours ...
24/7
During the said press briefing, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian noted: “At the start of this attack in the air (in the battle area) there was coalition aviation, including F-22 and MQ-9, who provided air cover, solved the tasks of fighting enemy aircraft and conducting reconnaissance, Surveillance and Reconnaissance. That is, they did something, what we have been doing every day since the start of the fight against IS (terrorist organization, banned in Russia)”.
The keywords here are - “were” (already at that moment) and “daily”. Simply put, Americans constantly keep in certain areas, where at least there is at least a small possibility of fire contact with the enemy, combat aircraft and reconnaissance and strike drones, continuously conducting reconnaissance and providing direct fire cover for their forces. For their timely and effective use in the combat formations of subunits, there are a sufficient number of advanced aircraft controllers. If necessary, the latter call for additional forces for help., which for the most part are on alert in the air and are able to move into the required area in a fairly short period of time to provide air support.
The enemy is able to open the grouping of such duty forces and inform the commanders of his units in a timely manner only if he has modern long-range radars, airborne early warning and control systems, as well as means of electronic intelligence.
In conclusion, we note, that none of the above, as paradoxical as it sounds, in no way excludes the possibility of betrayal. Just in this case, certainly, Americans using one of the above scenarios could be more effective. So this question is still waiting for its researcher., although, seems, it has no particular perspective, and it would be better for everyone to study the speech of Lieutenant General Harrigian. Who understands poorly by ear - can read, at least with a dictionary, transcript, posted on the Pentagon website.
The general stated literally the following: “Although the attack was unprovoked, she was not completely unexpected. Coalition forces observed a gradual concentration (in the area of famous events) personnel and weapons during the previous week, and we even reminded the Russian representatives on the hotline that, SDF and coalition forces are present in the area. All this took place long before, how the enemy started the attack”. comes, that the Americans did not know about the attack, but assumed based on intelligence data. And as soon as it began - so immediately and called their advanced aircraft controllers all that is needed. As a result, we have that, that we have, plus unabated press hype.
And finally - a little sensation. In all sources, the number of the attackers is indicated as a battalion. But the author of the article managed to find in one of the transcripts of the conversation between US Secretary of Defense James Mattis and the journalists of his pool during his next flight to Washington, a paragraph, in which he gave the exact figure - 257 human. If the minister is right, then the losses already recognized by all experts in the amount of about 100 killed, taking into account the fact, that some of the seriously wounded could have died on the way to the hospital or already in it, let us talk about, the night of 7 on 8 February there was a real massacre. From a military point of view, such a unit can be considered completely destroyed..
This also indirectly confirms the version that, that there was no planned action on the part of the Americans: within three hours, the advanced aircraft, as it appears, pointed all those planes at the enemy, who were on duty in the air or at nearby airfields. So if you want to avoid “anger” American aviation, including strategic, then the first step is to eliminate the advanced aircraft controllers and their communication terminals. After that, do whatever you want with the enemy..
