Illustrative image. source: mod.gov.sy
After targeting militants’ positions in northern Lattakia for five days, the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) expanded its operations to include northwestern Hama.
Syrian opposition sources reported on September 27 that Syrian helicopters attacked positions in the town of Kabani in the northern Lattakia countryside and in the town of Sirmaniyah in the northwestern countryside of Hama.
Both towns are occupied by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Horas al-Din and so-called Ajnad al-Kavkaz (AK). Most of the terrorists there are foreign Jihadists.
In the last few weeks, militants stationed in northern Lattakia and northwestern Hama violated the ceasefire in Greater Idlib several times.
By expanding its operations, the SyAAF is likely setting ground for a possible military operation in northern Lattakia and northwestern Hama.
It is great to see the refurbished SyAAF Gazelle’s back in good form supporting the heavier Russian MI-24 Hinds and MI-17 multi-role helos. Syria is one the largest operators of Gazelles with a impressive combat operational history in Lebanon and Syria.
The increasing deployment of the workhorse Gazelle also highlights the technical assistance provided by Russia and Iran. The increasingly robust deployment of the rotary aviation also shows Syria’s historical Russian ties, the Mi-8 and Mi-17 form the backbone of the transport helicopter fleet. In total, around 100 ‘Hips’ were delivered to Syria, with an approximate 50:50 division between Mi-8 and Mi-17 versions. The helicopter fleet is dispersed across the country and provides the main means of transporting troops to austere locations. Russians and Iranians have extensive combat experience with MI-17 and has converted a large number into every effective gunship configuration with electronic countermeasures, reducing the US sponsored terrorists SAM threat.
From the late 1970s, France supplied more than 60 SA342 Gazelle helicopters for use in the anti-tank role. Armed with HOT missiles, these saw considerable action in recent battles Al-Mazza base which had good maintenance facilities for rotary aviation is now back in action and further expanded to cater for SyAAF growing attack helicopter fleet.
More recently, the Mi-24 and Mi-25 helicopters fulfilled the role of tank-buster, with the fleet now based at Marj Ruhayyil, south of Damascus, but now over 50 Gazelle are operational. The Mi-24s of 765 Squadron and 766 Squadron were formerly based at As Suwayda, the southernmost air base in Syria, but the critical situation in the country forced the helicopters closer to the capital. Reportedly, around 40 Mi-24s were delivered to the SyAAF and all are overhauled and upgraded by Russians and Iranians in the last 2 years. These were augmented by at least 18 Mi-25s that were delivered in 2018.
Thanks. The more I read about the 2009 Israeli incursion the more I understand what an amazing feat the Hezbollah defense was.
….and Pompeo cry for his assets
He will cry even more when he sees Hezbollah special forces units in Eastern Euphrates at the Iraq border in new uniforms and Russian supplied body armor with siphoned off Americunt M-4 sniper rifles.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/eac858d3d45e1cf927c2c5084d10009197a9063467674d74b87c9315bba7b5e7.jpg
Yanki Junk not required as the Russian T-5000 Tochnost is the Top sniper rifle in the world
Hezbollah is making a political point by humiliating the dumbass Americunts by showing that they have access to all Americunt taxpayer funded weaponry from Iraq. Hezbollah has Americunt Lebanese army M-113, Humvees, Iraqi army M1-Abrams and just about everything. Iran also carted off a F-16 from Iraq for closer inspection and to perfect its AD systems. Hezbollah primarily uses Russian small arms, sniper rifles and ATGM.
It makes sense to utilise the thousands of tons of captured US weapons and munitions by donating them to Hezbollah :)
This is a goodie!
This op really needs to begin asap. Report on AMN yesterday shows the jihadi headchopping vermin desecrating 2 Russian airmen who’s Mi-8 was shot down as it returned from delivering much needed medical supplies to Aleppo. HTS and their Headchopping partners need to be eradicated and sent on a voyage through eternal damnation..
From your mouth to Gods ears!
According to stupid Italian pimp, acting as American secretary of state Pompeo, next SAA operations will be around Kabani.
Only choppers so far, I don’t think fixed wing aircraft have been used since Assad accepted the new amended UN resolution 2254. There are now some new restrictions on the SAAF according to the new agreement, but so far we haven’t been told what they are, hopefully it’s not an outright ban on all fixed wing aircraft because that would be terrible, but in saying that I doubt that’s the case. I’m not sure if this new agreement affects the Russian airforce in any way, I suspect it won’t since there was no mention of that being the case in anything I’ve read so far. And if they aren’t restricted by the new agreement they should quickly start helping the SAAF take up the slack, so where are they?, oh that’s right, Erdogan has a ceasefire in place, LOL, you know the one the UN isn’t telling Assad he has to abide by but his friends Russia and Iran are telling him he should, LOL. Come on Russia, it’s time to start bombing the terrorists again, Assad hasn’t stopped, LOL.