Illustrative image.
Cuba has test fired a local anti-ship cruise missile system amid increasing pressure from the United States, which is reportedly considering an intervention in the island nation.
It is unclear when the exercise, carried out by the Cuban Revolutionary Navy, was carried out, but video footage surfaced online on May 31. The video shows two launchers of system, Bandera VI-M “Remulgadas,” being deployed, with one of them firing what appears to be a Soviet-made P-22 anti-ship cruise missile later.
The system, built on the basis of a Soviet-made KrAZ 10×10 truck, features a command cabinet, and what appears to be a regular commercial maritime radar, in addition to two launchers for P-15-type anti-ship cruise missiles, like the P-22, in the back.
The P-22 was one of the latest versions of the P-15 to come out from the Soviet Union, with a range of up to 80 kilometers, a warhead weighing around half a ton, and active radar guidance.
While the missile is considered absolute in modern terms, and vulnerable to electronic warfare means, it still can pose a serious threat to merchant vessels, like oil and gas tankers, or even to unprotected military vessels, like amphibious assault ships and supply ships.
The latest exercise by the Cuban Revolutionary Navy came amid increasing pressure from the U.S. The escalation began earlier this year, right after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a special operation to capture Nicolas Maduro, the long-term leader of Havana’s ally Venezuela. More than 30 Cuban troops who were guarding Maduro’s residency in Caracas were killed in the operation.
The Trump administration has since vowed to starve Cuba of oil, amid one of the worst energy crises in the history of the communist-ruled nation.
The U.S. president floated an invasion of the island after economic and political pressure failed to topple the communist government, and according to more recent reports, the U.S. military already has plans in place and is actively making preparations.
In the face of this threat, Cuba held a series of military exercises in recent weeks, testing not just its coastal defenses, but also its air defenses.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com