MH17 -- SA-11 / BUK complexity

This topic was created by John H Woods .

  1. John H Woods Silver badge

    MH17 -- SA-11 / BUK complexity

    Hi all,

    I keep reading that it is unlikely a rebel group could have used this system to brink down MH17 without 'expert help' - presumably the Russians,

    Now, I have no idea, but is this true? My military expertise is limited to taking out a few tanks with a Javelin on CoD4, so I have no idea. Are Javelins really that easy to use? Although I would think not, I am tempted to assume that many of these weapons are as easy to use as possible - no time to RTFM in a war. And I generally think that the complexity of a system does not always make it harder to use, often the reverse, because the whole purpose of the complexity in some cases is to assist the human operator.

    Can anyone enlighten me? Or amusingly ridicule my naivety in the comments? Thanks in advance.

    1. Small Cog

      Re: MH17 -- SA-11 / BUK complexity

      Hi, mate

      I really don't have a clue; all info is from the internet

      A short video of BUK operation

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjHcVhj4LRM

      I used this to pick up my terminology

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buk_missile_system

      I good photo

      http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/plotnikk/15932472/690356/690356_original.jpg

      From left to right, with crew numbers for each (from internet)

      - command vehicle - a crew of 6

      - target acquisition radar (TAR) - a crew of 3

      - transporter erector launcher and radar (TELAR) - a crew of 4

      - transporter erector launcher (TEL) - a crew of ?

      The following texts circulate in the Russian internet:

      "BUK consists of 4 vehicles/crews. Two of the four crews consist entirely of officers and engineers - except for the driver and the operator. Operating the BUK is a complex process which requires experienced crews to closely cooperate across the vehicles. The level of coordination required is comparable to those on a light cruiser or a submarine"

      "Do you know what combating a simulated air raid is like? Thickest smoke hangs in the cabins. The crews don't have enough time to take their cardiac tablets, heart rate is over 200, many are on the verge of a cardiac arrest. The have been lethal cases"

      So it is highly unlikely that rebels could have operated a BUK w/o an experienced crew sent to their aid.

      However then we arrive at the more important question - did the rebels have a BUK at all?

      They had definitely taken control of an UA army base where UA army used to keep them.

      They did claim themselves that they had one - but were they just boasting?

      There are some photos which allegedly show the TELAR in the town of Torez - an important base of the rebellion.

      Further just a single TELAR without the command vehicle and without the TAR is said to be extremely tricky to operate. Some people on the net claim it would be a "miracle" to hit a target just with the TELAR. Yes it's got a small radar but I understand you have to point it rather precisely at the target - and then it can probably track it and hit it. However this is not how it is normally operated.

      Further there are no photos of this TELAR in action.

      General prosecutor of the Ukraine said that the rebels did not get any BUK-s "in working order" from the UA army bases.

      That sounds sensible - those BUK-s which were in working order from the base were spotted elsewhere - possibly close the Crimea border - where UA army is actually fearing a Russian invasion.

      So where do these claims leave us? UA authorities now claim that the BUK was transported over the Russian border and later ferried back.

      How likely is that? I do not know. Honestly I doubt it.

      In the press-conference Russian generals made public satellite images showing BUK installations of the UA army

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSpeo5RcQQo

      They've unveiled pictures of three installations - each consisting of multiple vehicles. UA army do have full sets - command vehicles, TAR-s, TELAR-s, TEL-s - all the stuff. One of the images actually shows 60 military vehicles on one spot! That the scale you have when you use BUK-s for air defense. Interesting thing is that this large installation was gone the next day after the crash.

      So what do we see? We see that Ukrainian army has got lots of BUK-s around the crash site.

      This is proven by satellite imagery. Nobody disputes the veracity of these images.

      However when the US authorities were asked to reveal satellite images showing the BUK installation on the side of the rebels there was a complete and deafening silence. Yes there are multiple accusations. Fingers are pointed both at the rebels and at Russia. But all of these are complete unsubstantiated! NO PROOF AT ALL has been made public!

      Meanwhile we also have claims like this:

      http://www.infowars.com/whistleblower-u-s-satellite-images-show-ukrainian-troops-shooting-down-mh17/

      "What I’ve been told by one source, who has provided accurate information on similar matters in the past, is that U.S. intelligence agencies do have detailed satellite images of the likely missile battery that launched the fateful missile, but the battery appears to have been under the control of Ukrainian government troops dressed in what look like Ukrainian uniforms"

      This honestly I find much easier to believe in rather than in the rebels shooting with TELAR only or a whole set of vehicles being smuggled across the border - unseen

    2. Mummy's 'ickle soldier

      Re: MH17 -- SA-11 / BUK complexity

      No. The SA-17/BUK is a very complex piece of equipment that requires at least a semi-competent operator to 'let one loose'.

      The system is pretty much self contained in that it's SNOWDRIFT and SCRUM HALF radars can acquire targets and guide missiles onto those targets. The system is pretty powerful, only aircraft like the U2 and stealth a/c wouldn't take this seriously (U2 flies too high, SA-2 required!).

      A civilian airliner could easily be taken out 'accidentally' if the operator was monging it and didn't go through proper target ID procedures. Typical scenario that could happen if Paramilitaries/reservists (joke) get to operate one of these systems.

  2. John H Woods Silver badge

    @small cog

    thank you very much, this is certainly food for thought.

  3. Google

    rt.com

    Russia Today has been waffling on quite a bit how it's likely the Ukraine, not rebels, fired the missile. Some of noteworthy pieces

    http://rt.com/news/174868-ukraine-buk-falsification-continues/

    http://rt.com/usa/174796-intelligence-malaysia-plane-mh17-us/

    http://rt.com/news/174412-malaysia-plane-russia-ukraine/ - Ukrainian Su-25 fighter detected in close approach to MH17 before crash - Moscow

    Over there, there are no good guys.

  4. Mummy's 'ickle soldier
    Holmes

    Particularly interesting now that the warhead has been confirmed as a Russian missile.

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/oct/13/mh17-crash-report-ukraine-live-updates

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