Over 100 Kalibr missiles ready to fire off the coast of Syria

Reuters news agency on May 16 quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement saying that Russian warships equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles will be stationed in the Mediterranean to counter potential terrorist threats in Syria.

Along with the above statement, Mr. Putin also emphasized that there will only be warships carrying Kalibr cruise missiles present off the coast of Syria and no Russian submarines present in this area.

Explaining this statement, the Russian President said that the purpose of keeping warships in the Mediterranean is to deal with the terrorist threat that exists in Syria. Mr. Putin's statement shows that Russia has begun to increase its military presence in the Middle East since its military intervention in Syria in 2015.

According to calculations by The Wall Street Journal, up to now, Russia has 15 warships of various types, including the Admiral Grigorovich and Admiral Essen. With these warships, The Wall Street Journal estimates that Russia currently has about 120 Kalibr cruise missiles off the coast of Syria and is ready to fire at any time.

Not only did the magazine list the number of Russian warships and weapons present off the coast of Syria, it also compared the Kalibr to the American Tomahawk. The Wall Street Journal said that, compared to Tomahawk missiles, the Kalibr has many superior features.

The Kalibr missile has a range at least equal to that of the Tomahawk (or even longer), a cruise speed approximately equal (subsonic) and is also capable of flying along terrain to avoid radar.

However, the Kalibr has one capability that the Tomahawk does not: an active radar warhead, allowing the missile to accurately attack its target even when GPS is jammed. The Kalibr is a multi-purpose missile that can be installed on small warships, aircraft, and can destroy targets on the ground.

Meanwhile, the BGM-109 Tomahawk is only installed on large warships or heavy bombers such as the B-52 or B-2, and it also does not have a version using a land-based truck launcher.

All the features of the Kalibr are thanks to advanced technology, especially its engine. The magazine gives an example, that domestic American companies supply engines to the Pentagon to equip small guided bombs of 250-500 pounds, as well as aviation bombs.

"As for Russian rocket engine technology, it is far ahead of the Americans. Therefore, Washington is directly interested in Russian rocket engines," the magazine added.

Previously, expert Schneider also said that what worries the US and the West now is that they do not have any weapons that are comparable in power to Russia's Kalibr missile equipped with nuclear warheads, and modern US missiles such as the BGM-109 and AGM-86 cannot compare.

Since being put into service in the Russian military in 2015, the Kalibr cruise missile has caused concern among many Western defense analysts, as it is considered one of the most accurate and powerful long-range weapons in the Russian arsenal.

This precision cruise missile is so concerning that in August, after news of Russia's test-firing of the Kalibr missile, the US Department of Defense declared that Russia "poses a very serious threat."