MiG-29SMT being deployed by Russia in Khmemeim airbase was mentioned last month, and now, we see it during the media tour for international journalist. Video below.

Wael Al Hussaini‏ @WaelHussaini Aug 4
Exclusive: #Russia deployed few numbers of Mig-29SMT in Khmemeim AB #Syria
https://twitter.com/WaelHussaini/status/907719263775068161

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DJjd25OWAAACZ5C.jpg: orig

https://muraselon.com/en/2017/09/russia-delivers-mig-29s-mt-jet-fighters-syria/

Also,
@WaelHussaini
A second major #RuAF AB in #Syria to be revealed soon.

I wish that second airbase is Deir-Ez-Zor…

Btw, the work continues to make DEZ airbase fully operational. Its critical for the security of Eastern Syria borders and securing the Syrian oil fields. The perimeter need to be enlarged at the earliest to make it safe for the transports to operate.
https://muraselon.com/en/2017/09/deir-ezzor-airbase-operational-soon/

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DJYKH3cW4AARpwe.jpg: orig
^ as a reminder to how the situation changed over the months to what it finally is…

In addition tons of reconstruction machinery and equipments on the way
https://muraselon.com/en/2017/09/video-russia-sends-4000-tons-pipes-cables-machinery-reconstruction-aid-syria/

The shipment of industrial aid that is currently being readied for dispatch will consist of “more than 40 units of construction equipment,” such as bulldozers, excavators and cranes, Russia’s Defense Ministry said. In addition, the country will receive “over 2 thousand tons of metal pipes” that would be used to restore water infrastructure as well as “hundreds of kilometers of high-voltage and fiber-optic cables” to restore electricity and communications lines.

Deir-Ez-Zor seige is likely to be broken in the next 24-48 hours.

https://twitter.com/PetoLucem

I hope this operation does not go the way of Latakia, Aleppo, Kuweirs, Palmyra and proceed further instead of stopping at the Euphrates.

Its a matter of hours before the siege is broken, but the most important, as far as I am concerned, is the DEZ airbase. A larger perimeter around the airbase needs to be secured so that the transports can fly in with supplies. This should also include crossing the Euphrates.

The southern push to secure and enlarge the airbase perimeter will include taking Thayyem oil field (shown in the map above) and moving further east which should also include crossing the Euphrates (once the forces have set in). It looks like the forces are going to engulf the whole area and not limiting to the Brigade 137 base as the sole contact point.

@sayed_ridha 58 minutes ago
Russian airstrikes and preemptive shelling by the Syrian Army on Thayyem field – Panorama front at the southern entrance to DeirEzzor city
https://twitter.com/sayed_ridha/status/904754178194411521

^ On top of that Thayyem oil field is the Thardah mountains. Its where the Jihadi coalition did recce for 3 days and struck the Syrian forces for over an hour claiming the lives of over a 100 men. Russia was busy telephoning the muricans for that entire one-and-half hour rather than sending any fighters, where as the clever muricans were out of their hotline seats and hence could not attend the calls from Russia.

DEZ defenders watch on as the allied forces are closing in…. Video

SRG General Issam Zahreddine with his men in Brigade 137, Deir Ez Zor on the radio with the advancing Syrian Army Tiger Forces (04/09/2017)
https://twitter.com/MmaGreen/status/904744327494197252

There is a need to put up the S-300/400, Buk-M2, Pantsir-S1/2 @ DEZ airbase to secure the whole of DEZ and the vast oil fields which is being targeted by the Jihadi coalition. The biggest threat the Syrian/Russian/allied forces is going to face is not the radical Jihadis, but the International Jihadi coalition and their aircrafts. We will see soon enough if the Russians have the balls to face off that Jihadi coalition.
If you see a halt in the operation limiting it to the western banks of the Euphrates, make no doubt, Russia do not have to stomach to carry on… and Syria looses its largest oil fields to the Jihadi coailation.

In North Syria, the moderate Jihadis are preparing for an assault around Aleppo to burden the Syrian forces and take the pressure off the radical Jihadis in DEZ. This is also to ensure that Syrian forces are forced to divert their man/material and hence stall their advance across the Euphrates to secure Syria’s largest oil fields.

The fact that Israel PM flew to Sochi with Mossad and Shin Bet Chief to meet Putin and his reuter interview of Attacking Iran targets in Syria and threat of war seems very serious.

Israel can bark as much as they want. They can even carry out a direct strike on Iranian targets inside Syria. But the problem is, unlike Russia, Iran does not carry any baggage currently (read FIFA world cup 2018) where by Russia is forced to keep/entertain the western partners so as to make the 2018 event smooth.

If the ISraeli’s strikes any Iranian targets inside Syria, Iran will retaliate with its ballistic missile inside Israel. The last time they showed their intend with strike in Deir-Ez-Zor, which happened right after the Jihadi coailation struck the Syrian allied forces advancing towards the Iraqi border. That Iranian ballistic missile strike had the dual purpose of sending across a message to the required parties as much as striking the radical jihadis.

Can’t get enough of this GAZ Tigr based SAMUM, eagerly waiting to see them in action.
This is likely to be a run away success in terms of exports if properly done as there are no other “OEM” produced “technicals”. Below demo video from Army-2017, including the -10/+90 deg arc. Very nice.

And lots of shots.
http://inform-24.com/13665-sergey-shoygu-oznakomilsya-s-peredovoy-razrabotkoy-zavoda-pemz-proektom-samum-deputata-umahanova.html

VKS action in Syria. From Zvezda TV report.

With hardly 30 fixed winged aircrafts at the disposal to service the entire Syrian theatre and 8 x dumb bombs on a normal basis is not going to cut it. Theoretically, even if 30 aircraft are airborne at a time, it brings to the table ordnance only enough for 240 targets over the entire Syria theatre. Then for the next 2-3 hours its going to be without any air support.

So Pantsyr can engage 4 targets and guide 2 missiles to each simultaneously.

I think this is the case

Pantsir-S1 —–> single rectangular radar – 2 targets with 4 guided missiles

Pantsir-S1 (2?) —–> Double faced radar – 4 targets with 8 guided missiles

Pardon, but when was the T50 first aimed to enter service ? In what numbers and …

Come on ! In the same way You are mocking how much these F-22-lovers are exaggerate – and You are right – You are hyping a fighter, that is late even by official sources, delayed with nearly all development schedules, probably still hampered by issues and will be introduced in much lower numbers than expected.

C’mon, it was written in the context of the that “greatest” ever fighter stuff.

What the experts believed based on their superior intelligence was that a rotten Russia was far behind and broken that a 5th Gen fighter was likely to appear/unveil in the 2015-2020 timeframe. But the PAK-FA came out in 2010. That was the point I was making.

Also, Russia sort of wasted couple of years waiting for India to join the project so as to lessen the financial burden. There was/is nothing else that India could have contributed to the PAK-FA project regardless of what fanboys may want to claim! Since the PAK-FA was a critical national project for Russia, they did not waste any more time and went ahead solo. What the Indian “experts” have not yet realised w.r.t to Russia in the military/projects is the priority level that Russia attaches to various projects/JVs. Russia doesn’t wait indefinitely for any highly indecisive partners which have the potential to thoroughly mess up their national projects which are critical to the forces.

A week before, the Syrian army Tiger Forces with support from VKS, paritularly those much needed helo gunships, carried out a successful behind the enemy lines ops. We can see those Ka-52, Mi-35, Mi-8 in the video…those guys did not even have seats to sit in those Mi-8s.

Good read
Five myths about missiles
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/five-myths/five-myths-about-missiles/2017/08/18/1a93967c-835a-11e7-902a-2a9f2d808496_story.html

Regarding the recent news of Korea getting its engines from Ukraine/black market….

And why that report is not true.

How North Korea makes its missiles
Two reports this week made crucial mistakes about the DPRK’s rocket development
https://www.nknews.org/2017/08/how-north-korea-makes-its-missiles/

Lets see if they will showcase such a capability in future tests.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DHlk1b9UIAA6Yii.jpg

Few interesting quotes from here
https://www.quora.com/How-efficient-is-North-Koreas-ICBM/answer/Sy-Gunson

There are two mysteries about the upper second stage. The first concerns speculation about the lack of an obvious Re-entry vehicle. Rather it concerns why the Hwasong-14 had a yellow nose cap and a payload shroud?

During the ascent telemetry recorded the missile shed its nose cap.

Fitting an aerodynamic fairing might be understandable if the re-entry vehicle was not ready yet, but to also fit an ejectable yellow nose cone makes no sense unless that was an operational feature. Maybe then the July 28th test launch was successful and maybe it did not break up unintentionally as claimed.

What if the break up spotted on radar was the intentional separation of dummy MIRV warheads?

Lighter Structure Revealed

However in 2012 a Chinese vessel carrying North Korean missile fuel tanks to Syria was intercepted. They were constructed of wound Graphite filament. Next a KN-11 missile was seen on parade in Pyongyang with woven Graphite filament.

Why is that important?

It is because Graphite resin construction is very strong and very lightweight. So light in fact that it could shave a third off the structural weight of an equivalent metallic fuel tank.