The Russian Defense Ministry is about to send a small task force made up exclusively of interceptor fighters equipped exclusively with short, medium and long range air-to-air armament. What is no longer an indiscretion would have been assumed by Putin himself, after the episode of the shooting down of the Russian Su-24, which crashed 2,5 miles from the Turkish border, by an Ankara F-16.
We recall that the General Staff has issued new directives to ensure the safety of aircraft engaged in Syria. There are three main directives. The first involves the escorting of all attack aircraft. The second is the activation of a kind of no-fly zone with immediate coverage by the cruiser Moscow and ground-based systems S300 / S400 with direct fire at any potential enemy. Finally, the third is the end of military contacts with Turkey.
"Russian Aerospace Force Air Group in Syria" as of November 26, 2015
Bassel al-Assad International, an airport 20 km south of Latakia on the Mediterranean coast of Syria connected to the main port of the country, has a force capable of hitting targets on the ground.
The Russians have twelve low-flying Su-24 tactical bombers Fencer, twelve ground attack aircraft and close-up support of Su-25 Frogfoot, four advanced fourth-generation Su-30SM fighters and twenty heavy attack helicopters.
Kamov Ka-52 'Alligators' take off from al-Hmeimim base. The base of Hmaimim, the most fortified by the Russians, is the main outpost for all attacks conducted by the Su-34 platforms. Moscow should have deployed eight to twelve. The air force is supplied by ten Thoughts. Six to twelve Su-30 interceptor fighters were deployed to defend the bombers. Another twelve will arrive.
The Bassel al-Assad International is also used by the Kremlin for all the reconnaissance and attack missions of the drones deployed in Syrian territory. The defensive perimeter includes the Al-Sanobar military base, seven kilometers north of Latakia and the Istamo storage complex, three kilometers west. Overall, Moscow has between 2500 and 3000 soldiers in Syria.
(photo: MoD Russian Federation)
