Why air fights over Syria

are impossible

In heavens over Syria a dangerous crowd. The USA, Russia and Assad’s mode bomb the different parties of the chaotic conflict which has captured the country.

Over Iraq and Syria air operations of the countries which not too love each other were crossed. As a result already there was a news that to the British pilots allowed to engage with the Russian aircraft in case of threat. Though the British government disproves it, it nevertheless recognizes air confrontation between Russian and allies possible.

At once some candidates for president, including the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the major candidate from democrats, urge to create a bespoletny zone over a northern part of Syria that among other things should tie hands of Russia partly.

In the Politico newspaper the former official of State department Frederick Hof urged the USA to answer rigidly any deliberate provocations from the Russian side. «If Russia begins to look for in Syria the armed confrontation with the United States, for Washington would be a mistake to evade», – he writes.

«Such people as Putin, will continue pressure, yet will not meet firm repulse».

One frightening incident already happened. As reports AFP, Russia declared on October 14 that its plane came nearer to American in the sky over Syria, «that it to identify». One of the Russian military also explained that the Russian pilots «often visually fix in air space over Syria not only planes of the USA, but also pilotless aircraft».

So, what will occur, if the Russian and American planes start to shoot each other in the Syrian air space?

Strangely enough, for the answer to this question David Hoffman’s book «The spy on billion dollars» (The Billion Dollar Spy) devoted to the spy of times of cold war to Adolf Tolkachevu can serve one of sources.

At the beginning and the middle of the 80th years the Tolkachyov heading one of the Soviet defensive laboratories, reported CIA data on radar-tracking systems of the Soviet warplanes to ten years forward.

«The most amazing that the Tolkachyov gave us information not only that became at that time, but also that 10 years later» will become, – Hoffman in Business Insider interview told.

The Tolkachyov gave the chance to the American military analysts to glance in the future of the Soviet Air Force.

As the Soviet Union was the main rival of the USA in the field of non-nuclear arms, thanks to this information America equipped the planes with the means, allowing to counteract RLS of the Soviet aircraft and to use their weak places. «This military information affected development of aviaelectronics though in national prospecting reports it was not reflected», – Hoffman explains.

This prospecting and technological advantage helped to provide to the American planes a superiority over planes of the Soviet construction during the period after disintegration of the USSR.

During war in the Persian Gulf of 1991 «the U.S. Air Force during direct air fights over Iraq forced down all tactical fighters of the Soviet construction which faced», Hoffman writes. Thus America was resisted by pilots of one of the strongest Middle Eastern armies of that time.

During the Balkan conflicts of the 90th years the American pilots proved to be at all worse against the Yugoslavian planes of the Soviet construction and Yugoslavian air defense.

«The statistics is very indicative, – Hoffman notes. – In Korea for each six brought-down enemy planes the United States lost one plane. In Vietnam we lost on the plane for each two brought down. Thus, the ratio of losses in Korea made six to one, in Vietnam – two to one, and in Iraq and on the Balkans – 48 to zero».

Partly exactly thanks to the Tolkachyov «The United States keep more than two decades almost absolute prevalence in air over planes of the Soviet construction», Hoffman emphasizes.

Technical superiority which was provided to America by Tolkachyov espionage, actually and now – in situations when the American Air Force can face the Soviet fighters constructed in 80th and in the early nineties. Besides, it can quite mention and the planes which have been let out later.

Development of many modern Russian planes began in Soviet period or right after them – during this period when defensive structures of a communistic era still remained in inviolability.

Let’s tell, the multipurpose fighter Su-34 (now in Syria four such planes) made the first flight in the 1990th though a system officially entered only a year ago. Besides, at Syria also there are Russian fighters Su-30. Thus both Su-34, and Su-30 occur from the multipurpose fighter Su-27, which characteristic of RLS the American military thanks to the Tolkachyov knew in all details.

In conversation with Business Insider Hoffman assumed that the part of information of the Tolkachyov is still significant for national security of the USA. «I am sure that the fair part of data of the Tolkachyov is still used and is still coded – that would be quite fair, – Hoffman argues. – Though this history 30 years, it is quite possible that many tolkachevsky data still keep value».

The data received from the Tolkachyov, helped the USA to receive domination in air during previous operations against fighters of the Soviet construction. If in the sky over Syria fights, a military information extracted in last – critical – decade of cold war begin, can be useful once again.

Armin Rosen