Few Short Notes.

1. When people ask why getting hands on some S1 Pantsir (belonging to UAE) in Libya makes a huge news in the West, my answer is simple--because it is the best air defense, as is all nomenclature of Russian-made air defense complexes, in the world even in their export variants with significantly reduced combat capabilities. But even those are enough to be superior to anything anyone produces in the world. As Israeli Air Force learned it a hard way today, once Syrian Air Defense Forces get their combat readiness up, they intercepted all 12 guided missiles launched by IAF at Damascus suburb and airport (in Russian). This kind of news will never make it into the Western media. Here, you can see the work of Siryan AD S1 Pantsir and Buk M2 intercepting Israeli's missiles yesterday. 

Obviously, such highly professional actions by Syrians who, by now, have one of the best combat training in matters of repelling all kinds of stand-off weapons in the world, merely demonstrate that it is always a combination of man and machine which matters. Obviously, Israeli combat planes prefer to remain in Israeli air space or far in  the international one when launching. Modern air defense complexes from Russia can shoot down literally anything in terms of manned combat aircraft. I am yet to find how the process of transfer of S-300 PMU2 from Russian forces to Syrian ones is ongoing, but it is clear that it is an extremely sensitive matter for a number of operational reasons. You know, S-300 PMU2 on combat duty near Damascus can easily shoot down Israeli combat aircraft within Israel and this is a tricky business.  

2. In other news: 

A US warship docked in Sudan Monday a day after a Russian frigate arrived in the same key Red Sea port where Moscow is planning to establish a naval logistics base, an AFP correspondent said. The arrival of the guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill to Port Sudan follows Washington's delisting of Khartoum as state sponsors of terrorism, following the April 2019 ouster of strongman Omar al-Bashir.

It is not "planned", it is already signed and Russia will have not base but "Point of Material-Technical Supply" (PMTO). It is not quite "base". Tartus IS base, Port-Sudan is not a base but a provision point, albeit with some important clarifications such as the ability to keep there a nuclear powered ships and subs. Here is Admiral Grigorovich in Sudan. yesterday (in Russian). 

Now, imagine a modernized Admiral Nakhimov "parked" there, with a couple of 11356 or 22350 with all those 3M14M and 3M22 Zircons. Well, you get my drift, right? Here is how it looks like on the map, wink, wink...

Just in case, the distance to Persian Gulf is also given. You know, marine traffic through Suez into the Red Sea may need (hopefully not) at some point of time real protection from who knows what may pop up in the future as a threat...

3. In other news, US media still remain crude propaganda tools, as are most US "journalists" working there and US remains completely delusional about Russia. This cannot be helped and will continue to deteriorate because they are one trick ponies and ignorant to boot. Well...