Amid heightened tensions with NATO and the growing integration of Belarusian armed forces with Russian armed forces from 2020 onwards, Belarus has begun Invest heavily in the modernization of its conventional military capabilities. The core of the modernization of Belarus’s air defense and strike capabilities is the S-400 long-range air defense system and the Iskander-M ballistic missile system purchased from Russia. Belarus and Russia’s S-400 held a joint exercise in May 2022. The new S The -400 battalion was commissioned at the end of June. These provide a key means of countering the growing deployment of F-35 fifth-generation fighter jets by NATO members in Eastern Europe and are supported by a range of other air defense assets as well as Russian S-400 systems and Su-35 fighter jets deployed to Belarusian territory. Belarus took delivery of the first Iskander-M missile systems, the main delivery vehicle for the nuclear warheads the country acquired under a deal, in the second half of 2022. core sharing agreement with Russia. In late May, the country simulated a nuclear strike using those assets, with the Iskanders optimized to evade enemy air defenses and deliver high-precision strikes, enabling them to destroy key targets such as airports in the early stages of a war.
The presence of Wagner Group paramilitary forces in the country complements the deployment of the S-400 and Iskander-M, two of Russia’s most important land-based asymmetric weapons systems, which are expected to be used in support of potential counterinsurgency operations play an important role in. This has become all the more important for Belarus’ security, as paramilitary groups trained in Poland and widely supported in Warsaw have pledged to foment unrest in Belarus, with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the Belarusian state and installing a government allied with the West in its place. While Wagner Group forces have been confirmed to play a role in sharing experience with Belarusian forces, Russian contractors are also expected to play a role in deterring Belarusian forces following more than a year of widespread fighting in Ukraine, most notably the Battle of Bakmut Play an important role. And quell the rebels if necessary.
While new mobile missile systems and support from Wagner’s paramilitary forces have provided a major boost to Belarus’ security, the country has improved its conventional forces through purchases from Russia and orders from the country’s sizeable indigenous defense industry. Comprehensive investment. In February, Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense Commander Andrei Lukyanovich confirmed that the country was receiving the new Tor-M2 short-range air defense system and an entire squadron of Mi-35M helicopters, the first four of which would be deployed in the first A quarter of a year is assigned. Belarus’ attack helicopter fleet currently consists of modernized Soviet-era purchased Mi-24 helicopters, with the Mi-35M a greatly enhanced derivative of a design that the Russian Army Aviation purchased in large numbers in the 2010s and successfully used offensively in Ukraine. Rather than being a dedicated attack helicopter like the more expensive Mi-28 and Ka-52 platforms, the aircraft can also be used as a limited-capacity troop transport. Belarus has long placed high priority on its rotorcraft capabilities, reportedly maintaining a high level of combat readiness, and played a prominent role during heightened tensions with NATO members in late 2020, demonstrating the resolve of its military. The Mi-35M benefits from significant commonality with the Mi-24 fleet, although it remains uncertain whether the older aircraft will be phased out or deployed alongside the newer aircraft.
Belarus is also reportedly ordering Su-30SM fighter jets from Russia, which will help to gradually retire its Soviet-built MiG-29 fighter jets. The Su-30SM is a “fourth generation plus” aircraft, the heaviest and longest-range fighter jet ever fielded by a European nation, and benefits from a host of advanced features, including a 400km air-to-air engagement range using R-37M missiles – Provides 2-4 times the range of NATO aircraft using missiles such as Meteor and AIM-120. The fighter is a derivative of the Su-27 Flanker air superiority fighter that Belarus inherited from the Soviet Union, but was decommissioned due to very high operating costs. More modern production methods and materials make the Su-30SM cheaper to operate than the Su-27, while new avionics, engines and armament provide far superior performance. The Russian Ministry of Defense has ordered more than 120 Su-30SMs, of which more than 500 fighters from the same branch of the Su-30 family of aircraft have been built and served in countries such as India, Algeria, Kazakhstan and Myanmar.
Belarus is expected to modernize some 400 T-72B tanks inherited from the Soviet Union from local industry to the T-72BM2 standard, an upgrade package roughly equivalent to the Russian T-72B3M. It includes a new fire control system, thermal sights and unnamed third-generation explosive reactive armor, very similar to the Russian Relikt. However, the viability of this upgrade package remains in question, as the T-72B3 has proven vulnerable to newer generations of anti-tank weapons such as the Ukrainian theater Javelin, leading Russia to develop a new variant that is better protected, Presumably it was designated T-72B3. The armor protection standard of the 72B4 is clearly close to that of the Russian Army’s most powerful tank, the T-90M. As a complement to the S-400 and Tor-M2 systems procured from Russia, Belarus is also speculated to be procuring larger quantities of the BuK-MB3K medium-range air defense system, a cheaper alternative to the Russian BuK-M2, using wheeled type rather than tracked launchers.