LOL. Yes, Warning My Ass.

Before that--the author of this drivel. 

He is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer and Distinguished Military Graduate with five years of military experience. Brent has earned a PhD in Political Science/ Public Policy, an MA in Political Science/ International Relations, an MS in Journalism, and a BA in English. Brent lives with his wife and son in Washington, DC.

In other words he has no idea that sinking decommissioned ships for training is as old as the artillery in the navies around the world. Today you add missiles, torpedoes, what have you. 

SINKEX: Why the U.S. Navy Sinks Its Own Warships as a Warning to Russia and China.

I have news for Mr. Brent M. Eastwood--with such background as his:

It will be nearly impossible to explain to him why Russians are not impressed. I assume he can handle basic tables in Excel where he should put ranges and velocities of missiles, torpedoes and AD capabilities of two respective navies and maybe he will get the message. I doubt, though. Especially difficult to do so against the background of the US losing the arms race by a knockout. What's left is coping. But then again--he should know basics, forget about in depth.

I doubt he has a tool kit to grasp it. So, cope harder. 

SINKEX By Turkish Navy.

Turkish Navy has released the video of its indigenous Atmaca anti-shipping missile sinking an old TCG Isin of the former US Navy's  Diver-class rescue and salvage ship.

Atmaca, whose respectable warhead measures around 250 kilos of high explosives, evidently, had very little difficulty in sending this, 1600 ton of displacement, old timer to the bottom of the sea when launched from the distance of 5 kilometers. Atmaca is yet another iteration of the good ol' veteran Harpoon, being subsonic 800 kilogram total weight anti-shipping missile in a classic 2x4 container scheme and it should add capability to Turkish Navy. But as is always the case with WiKi, nobody will be able to explain how the monstrous Russian-Indian Brahmos with its 3 ton weight, M=3 velocity and a range of 800 kilometers ended up being listed in what amounts to now a basic anti-shipping package of subsonic 250-300 (plus-minus) kilometer range light missiles. I don't know. Completely different class of weapons. But then again, it is WiKi. But for your pleasure--SINKEX. And I, honestly, always hit a mental short pause when I see an old ship being sacrificed. They are never just a pile of metal.

Speak Of The Devil.

The moment I mentioned anti-shipping missiles, Caspian Flotilla and attached forces decided to do the SINKEX. That is sink something floating on the water. For the love of me I couldn't make it out what ship was it, but from the top it almost looked as decommissioned project 1234 MRK (NATO-Nanuchka-class). Profile wise, however, it looked as an auxiliary--two different events?  So, no matter--we will learn about it in due course but it was something in the vicinity of 600+ tons of displacement and two Kh-31A anti-shipping missiles were used. 

These are high supersonic (M=2.7-3.5) sea-skimmers with 94 kilogram (207 Lbs.) warhead and it didn't take long to sent a hapless victim to the bottom. These missiles are carried by pretty much any front line aircraft (from Sukhois to MiGs) and here is a simple math (and physics). Kinetic energy. Missile with the velocity of Mach=3 has more than 9 (square of velocity) times more energy than similar subsonic missile. A single missile will render anything up to a frigate class nonoperational, two will most likely sink it, and sink it fast. Is this exercise somehow connected to the leaked rumors of US attacking Iran soon? Who knows. 

UPDATE: I think I figured out the issue. In one of the shots you can see, most likely, one of the Caspian Flotilla's Pr. 21631 Tornado-class MRK, the other--is target itself. Even on the foggy picture it was possible to make out Duet double-barrel gun system. So, the target is some kind of auxiliary. 

And She Didn't Want To Die

There is something inherently human in naval ships--no matter what nation, what navy. SINKEX--Sinking Exercise of USS Thach (FFG 43) of venerable Oliver Hazard Perry class couple days ago somehow got me sad. Good ole' frigate just didn't want to die. 

  

There was something human in all that. I've seen it all before but each time my heart is not in the right place... call me sentimental if you wish, but naval ships are created to fight and defend you, to the best of their (and your) ability and that is how bond is created. It is strong and I can only imagine the feelings of USS Thach veterans. But she (in Russia naval ships are he) went with a bang...