Russia unveils its newest Arctic base
Russian Defense Ministry
Russia has unveiled a new military base as part of its buildup in the Arctic region, and has provided a tour - albeit a virtual one on your computer.
According to a report from FoxNews.com, the base is located on Franz Josef Land - an archipelago north of Novaya Zemlya that the Soviet Union seized from Norway in 1926 - and is known as the "Arctic Trefoil" due to its tricorne shape.
The base covers roughly 14,000 square miles and can house up to 150 people for a year and a half. The National Interest has reported that Russia has developed new versions of several systems for a cold weather fight, including the SA-15 Gauntlet, the T-72 main battle tank, and an artillery system known as Pantsir-SA. A version of the SA-10 modified for Arctic conditions is also being developed.
The Arctic Trefoil is the second base Russia has opened in the Arctic. The first one, called Northern Clover, is located on Kotelny Island, north of Siberia. According to a 2014 report by the Russian news agency TASS, its runway is capable of landing Il-76 Candid cargo planes, which are comparable to the retired C-141 Starlifter, year-round.
The SA-15 Gauntlet is a short-range, radar-guided missile. According to ArmyRecognition.com, the missile has a maximum range of about eight miles and a speed of Mach 2.8. A version of this missile is also used on Russian naval vessels, like the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov as a point-defense system.
Wikimedia Commons
The Pantsir-SA is a modified version of the SA-22 Greyhound. ArmyRecognition.com notes that this is a truck-mounted system that holds 12 missiles with a maximum range of almost 12.5 miles and two 30mm autocannons that can hit targets 2.5 miles away. The system reported scored its first kill against a Turkish RF-4 Phantom in 2012.
Russia has been pushing to build up its bases in the Arctic in recent years, prompting the United States to carry out a buildup of its own, including the replacement of its aging icebreakers.
- CEO says he tried to hire an AI researcher from Meta, and was told to 'come back to me when you have 10,000 H100 GPUs'
- We bought a house in Japan for $30,000. We'll have more land than we could afford in the US, and our kids will be more independent.
- Rumors Prince William is having an affair with Rose Hanbury are flooding social media again after Stephen Colbert waded into 'Katespiracy'
- COVID-19 vaccine can slash risk of post-infection heart failure by half, study finds
- Stock markets close higher in volatile trade ahead of key Fed policy meeting
- 10 Must do activities in Kodaikanal on your next trip
- Harnessing the benefits of weekly fasting: transforming your health inside out
- Citroen to supply 4,000 units of EV e-C3 to BluSmart Mobility in 12 months