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Turkey has supplied the new Syrian military with anti-drone electronic warfare systems in a new sign of growing defense cooperation between the neighboring countries.
The IHASAVAR, made by Turkish defense company Aselan, first made its appearance in Syria in a photo that emerged online on November 23. Later on December 6, the system appeared again, this time in a video taken during a military ceremony held to commemorate the first anniversary of the collapse of the regime of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
In both cases it was reported that the system is in service with the 62nd Division, one of the largest formations of the Syrian military.
The IHASAVAR is a man-portable version of the Kangal anti-drone system with a weight of 14 kg. It was designed to detect and jam drones.
The system was designed to deal with drones operating in the 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz frequency bands – common among commercial drones – with a range of up to 2,000 meters. By overwhelming navigation signals and communication links, the system can take down hostile or unauthorized drones.
Following the fall of the Assad regime, Turkey emerged as the main ally of Syria’s Interim Government that was formed by Islamist rebels it backed for years. Ankara is now playing a leading role in building the new Syrian military.
A report by Bloomberg from October revealed Turkish plans to arm the Syrian military with advanced weapons, including armored vehicles, drones, artillery, missiles, and air defense systems.
More recently, a source close to the Syrian military revealed to SouthFront that Ankara has already supplied the army with a number of T-122 Sakarya multiple launch rocket systems, and could soon provide TRG-300 Tiger which is capable of firing heavier guided rockets.
It is no surprise that the 62nd Division is among the first Syrian military formations to get new equipment from Turkey. The unit’s roots go back to the Sultan Suleiman Shah Division, a rebel group that was a part of the now-defunct Turkish-backed Syrian National Army.
The 62nd Division is commanded by Mohammed al-Jassem, also known by his nom de guerre “Abu Amsha,” who was given the rank of Brigadier General by the Syrian Ministry of Defense after the fall of the Assad regime despite having no formal military training or even education.
Notably, Abu Amsha has been under sanctions by the United States Department of the Treasury since 2023 for having engaged in abductions, extortion, forced displacement, harassment and property confiscation, particularly targeting the Kurds. Earlier this year, he and his formation were also sanctioned by the Council of the European Union for their involvement in the massacres of Alawites in March.
Turkey clearly does not see these issues related to its military cooperation with Syria, which is expected to evolve into a strategic military alliance in the near future.
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