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| Tu-160 Blackjack Bombers And Kinzhal Hypersonic Missiles from Russia |
International Military - CAATSA stands for Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. CAATSA is a product of US regulations passed in 2017
Quoted from the EurAsian Times, this CAATSA rule aims to give the US Government the authority to impose sanctions. The sanctions are imposed on anyone who does business (especially arms procurement) with Russia, North Korea and Iran.
The US insists on any country that contributes to economic gains with the three countries. For the White House, the transactions that take place will deal with US institutions, including the world bank and the dollar.
The most phenomenal example of the application of CAATSA sanctions is Turkey. In 2019, Ankara purchased the Russian S-400 weapons system, and this is a point of tension between them and Washington. And as is well known, the US imposed CAATSA sanctions on Turkey.
The policy was passed in December 2020, the US Congress passed the National Defense Authority Act or NDAA which includes provisions for sanctions against Turkey that buys Russian-made weapons products, namely the S-400 itself.
The reason the US is so "angry" with a country that buys Russian products is because it is considered a threat to the F-35. The Daily Star said the US was worried that Russian weapons systems would spy on the sophistication of the F-35 stealth fighter. Even though Turkey has said that the S-400 they are buying will not "interfere" with US weapons. But the bad luck was not felt by India.
Escaping CAATSA sanctions, India began deploying a second battalion of S-400s on its country's northern border facing China. India deployed its first battalion in December 2021, on the western border facing Pakistan.
New Delhi itself has ordered 5 units of the Russian long-range air defense system in 2018. India is said to be the only country that is not subject to CAATSA sanctions. And recently, it was reported that India had another transaction with Russia.
It is said that New Delhi will receive the upgraded and advanced variant of the Tu-160 Blackjack bomber known as the White Swan. Quoted from Defense View, negotiations between Russia and India have reached the final stage. Meaning, India will soon have its own strategic bomber.
This was confirmed by the former Chief of Staff of the Indian Air Force, Arup Raha who gave a speech at the Chanakya Foundation in New Delhi. In addition to the Tu-160, Raha also confirmed that the bomber will be equipped with hypersonic missiles, possibly Kinzhal missiles.
With the existence of bombers plus deadly missiles, this will change the tactical orientation of the Indian military against Pakistan and China.
To note, the Tu-160 bomber is one of the bombers that NATO fears. Quoted from 1945, this bomber has a very large size. It has a wingspan of 177 feet and is powered by four Kuznetsov NK-32 afterburning turbojet jet engines. This engine has a thrust of 55,000 pounds and is considered the strongest ever installed in a military aircraft.
In addition, the Tu-160 also produces a top speed of MACH 2, depending on the extent to which the wings are swept back. This bomber has a range of 7,500 miles. He can fire nuclear power cruise missiles. In fact, the Tu-160 can carry ballistic missiles that can "kill carriers".