The answer to the American HIMARS: why does Russia need Belarusian “Polonezes” with Chinese filling?

Military Watch reported that Russia may order Polonez from Belarus, Europe’s longest-range multiple launch rocket systems. They use Chinese A-200 missiles with a caliber of 301 mm, a radius of destruction up to 300 kilometers.

“The updated Polonaise MLRS manufactured by Belarus is a copy of the Chinese NORINCO ARS system for export sales,” military expert Alexei Leonkov told socialbites.ca. – The army of the PRC managed to equip this system with a sufficiently high accuracy, the deviation from the target does not exceed 50 meters. With a salvo fire of eight missiles, this is a fairly high figure, which allows you to destroy both the open enemy force and the protected objects in the rear.

There is a minor feature in the unified guidance system that is inert and requires GPS satellite correction. Russian MLRS are melee weapons, sometimes the coordinates of the enemy provided by intelligence are enough, but data from both navigation aids and drones are used. This is comparable to the defeat of the Russian operational-tactical complexes, “sharpened” for such a guidance system. This is how missiles of Avant-garde complexes, winged Kalibr and hypersonic Daggers work. “Polonezes” can also be placed inside this structure and used with great precision.

In the Polonaise MLRS, the Belarusian component is the chassis of the MZKT-7930 tractor with an 8×8 wheel arrangement with a carrying capacity of up to 25 tons. A similar base is used for the Russian OTRK “Iskander”, DBK “Honey”, “Bastion”, “Clab-M”, MLRS “Hurricane-1M”. So, this eight-axle tractor is well known to the Russian army.

“The formula of supply and demand is applicable to the Polonaise,” Alexander Zimovsky, a Belarusian political scientist and military expert, told socialbites.ca. “During their appearance, they did not cause much excitement: Chinese missile, Belarusian chassis, the scope of combat use is very uncertain.”

Azerbaijan acquired the Belarusian MLRS “Polonezine” in 2018. According to the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, 10 sets of MLRS were adopted by the army of the republic. As the local press wrote, Baku considered the Polonaises a response to the Iskander OTRK, who was serving in the Armenian army.

“During the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, the use of the Polonaise was somewhat dulled in the newspapers. The combat effectiveness of this MLRS remains more in the theoretical realm. Yet the “Polonies” are the fruit of interstate cooperation between China and Belarus. Also, the main component is Chinese. A legitimate question is whether it is possible for Russia to buy the Chinese MLRS, what exactly is in the original version? Chinese missiles on a Chinese chassis. Or a variant of cooperation with Chinese missiles, for example, on the Russian chassis of the Bryansk Automobile Plant.

Here we are entering shaky ground regarding China’s own arms trade policy and practice. If, for one reason or another, direct arms deals between the Russian Federation and China are not possible, the Belarusian option remains the only such possibility. But here again we encounter supply/demand. What capacities does Minsk have for the production of “Polonezes”? And under what conditions will it be able to make the transition from exhibition samples to conveyor production? – said Alexander Zimovsky

In the Belarusian army there are 6 MLRS “Polonez”, they are accompanied by a certain number of Chinese A-200 missiles with a caliber of 301 mm. American analysts in recent publications suggest that Minsk may go to joint production of such jet systems with Moscow. The project should also involve a third party – China as a supplier of missiles.

“Such an option cannot be ruled out,” military observer Vladislav Shurygin told socialbites.ca. “There seems to be an obvious benefit for all parties involved in the transaction. Belarus continues production of a combat wheelbase at MAZ, China sends its missiles, which it has in abundance, Russia receives finished products with enhanced performance, which it can use instead of more expensive operational-tactical missiles. Considering the established production process, the “Polish” of such an assembly may sound good in Ukraine this year. I do not ignore that this system can also use the Russian Smerch-S missile with a caliber of 300 millimeters.

American HIMARS systems supplied by the Armed Forces of Ukraine reached 300 kilometers, the Russian MLRS “Hurricane”, “Smerch” and “Tornado” – from 35 to 120 kilometers. According to Military Watch, the Russian Armed Forces can purchase the Belarusian Polonaise using Chinese missiles with a radius of destruction similar to HIMARS as an alternative to their systems. socialbites.ca explains how it can be used in a special operation and what is needed to start co-production.



Source: Gazeta

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