Outer space

Syria experience prompts need for military satellite grouping, says Russian defense chief

The Syrian combat experience of using precision weapons prompts the need to re-equip the orbital grouping of military satellites, Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergey Shoigu said at the ministry’s conference call on Tuesday.

"The Syrian experience shows that detailed reconnaissance and cartographic information is needed for the effective use of precision weapons. This data can be obtained only with the help of modern satellites capable of making high-resolution images of the Earth’s surface," the defense minister stressed.

"This is why the Defense Ministry is actively engaged in technically re-equipping the orbital grouping of military satellites," Shoigu said.