The recent deployment of six B 52H STRATOFORTRESS bombers from the Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, within the remit of the US European Command, has caused considerable concern among military analysts, both Western and Russian.
The B-52H carried out flights near the Russian border, in the Baltic region, probably to test the defensive device. In response, the Russian air forces have launched the Su-27M3 fighters, which have repeatedly conducted scramble actions against bombers, on the international waters of the Baltic Sea.
The A2 / AD bubble (Anti-Access / Denial Area) of Kaliningrad, on the Baltic Sea, is a thorn in the side towards NATO, in particular of the three Baltic countries plus Poland.
The Russian antiaircraft defense is ensured by the 152ᵃ brigade, missile department present in the enclave, equipped with 2 battalions of S-400 TRIUMPH (following photo), consisting of 8 quadrilateral launchers (32 missiles) each, one command post and two radars (one surveillance and one of engagement). These weapon systems are flanked by the S-300 air defense systems, already present on site along with the anti-aircraft complexes for the PANTSIR-S1 point defense.
The aerial surveillance is covered by the phased array radar Early Warning VORONEZH-DM in UHF band, with a range of 6.000 km. In the 2017 the Kaliningrad TRIUMPH received the 96L6E TSBS radar for the acquisition of aircraft at high altitudes, using long-range missiles with semi-active 48N6E2 / E3 radar (200 / 250 km range); furthermore, it is not to be excluded that the new long-range missiles (400 km) 40N6 with active radar guidance are also present. A weapon that would further strengthen the multi-layered air defense already active in the Kaliningrad enclave.
However, being a launch pad stand-off, the B-52H can carry up to 20 cruise missiles AGM-86C CALCM (with a range of over 1.000 km), or AGM-86B ALCM (with a range of 2.500 km, and armed with a nuclear warhead).
They are also equipped with an electro-optic system that uses a platinum silicide FLIR sensor and low-resolution high-resolution cameras that allow for superior performance from target detection systems.
According to the Pentagon, the enclave of Kaliningrad, on the Baltic coast, threatens the access of conventional Alliance air forces to the airspace of significant portions of the Old Continent (about 1 / 3 of the Polish and the totality of the Lithuanian one) , creating de facto no-fly zones.
Sending the B-52H is a clear message to the Kremlin about the actual possibility of the USAF to hit any target, even the most protected one.
Photo: US Air Force / MoD Russian Fed
