During the course of the Syrian Civil War aviation shootdowns, incidents and accidents have taken place between different state and non-state actors. By mid 2013, according to the website Strategy Page, Syrian Air Forces losses totalled nearly a hundred fixed-wing and a hundred helicopters lost. Some 400 aircrew have been killed, captured, or missing. [1]
Public observation via Google Earth of Syrian airfields shows a decreasing number of airframes parked in the open in contrast to the increasing number of recorded air sorties. The hubs of Syrian Air Force basing activity prior to and during the Syrian Civil War have been the airfields at Aleppo, Damascus, Latakia and Hama.
Year | Air Force personnel | Combat aircraft | Attack helicopters |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | 100,000 | 555 | 36 |
2014 | 63,000 | 295 | 25 |
Due to external support by Iran and Russia, the combat readiness of the Syrian Arab Air Force actually increased over the years of the civil war, [3] with the resources being rationalized towards useful assets and wider availability of service and parts for the remaining air-frames.
As usual during an armed confrontation, it is impossible to determine the cause of every single crash, because opposing parties may claim the aircraft was shot down by their forces, while the side flying the aircraft claims it was accidental. In some instances, even the presence of a video does not clarify what happened, since a flash may be due to an antiaircraft shell or an engine explosion.
The list below includes both manned and unmanned aircraft.
Aircraft & UAV losses [255] | |
---|---|
Country/Belligerent | Destroyed |
![]() | 3 |
![]() | 26 |
![]() | 133 |
![]() | 7 |
![]() | 3 |
![]() | 12 |
![]() | 11 |
![]() | 4 |
The Syrian Air Force, officially the Syrian Arab Air Force, is the air force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It was established in 1948. Land-based air defense systems are grouped under the Syrian Arab Air Defense Force, which split from both the Air Force and the Army.
The Sukhoi Su-24 is a supersonic, all-weather tactical bomber developed in the Soviet Union. The aircraft has a variable-sweep wing, twin engines and a side-by-side seating arrangement for its crew of two. It was the first of the USSR's aircraft to carry an integrated digital navigation/attack system.
The Sudanese Air Force is the air force operated by the Republic of the Sudan. As such it is part of the Sudanese Armed Forces.
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This is a list of aviation-related events from 2012.
As the civil uprising phase of the Syrian Civil War turned into an all-out civil war, the 911-kilometre-long (600 mi) Syria–Turkey border became the scene of minor military clashes between the Turkish Army and various factions in the war to the south.
This is a list of aviation-related events from 2013.
This is a list of aviation-related events from 2014.
This is a list of aviation-related events from 2015.
Khmeimim Air Base, also Hmeimim Air Base, is a Syrian airbase currently operated by Russia, located south-east of the city of Latakia in Hmeimim, Latakia Governorate, Syria. The airbase shares some airfield facilities with Bassel Al-Assad International Airport. The legal status of the base is regulated by a treaty Russia and Syria signed in August 2015. At the end of 2017, Russia said it had decided to turn the Khmeimim base into a component of its permanent military contingent stationed in Syria.
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This is a list of aviation-related events from 2016.
This is a list of aviation-related events from 2017.
Insurgency in Idlib is an ongoing insurgency in the regions Idlib Governorate between multiple factions. The conflict is primarily between the supporters of Syrian Salvation Government and forces loyal to Syrian Arab Republic. Other factions participating in insurgency range from the Syrian opposition forces in the Syrian National Army supported by Turkey; to supporters of Al-Qaeda branch Hurras al-Din and members of the Islamic State group. The insurgency has been marked by assassinations and bombings, as well as armed confrontations with small arms and raids.
Operation Spring Shield was a cross-border military operation carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in the Idlib Governorate of northwestern Syria against the Syrian Armed Forces and allied militias. The operation was launched on 27 February 2020 in direct response to the Balyun airstrikes, aiming to address the escalating situation in the region.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)According to Syria's Shaam Times, the incident, which allegedly took place last week, involved a pilot named Hassan Mohamed Mahmoud, 29, who had begun his sortie in a base in As-Suwayda, just north of the Jordanian border.Mahmoud reportedly ejected from his aircraft over Tel Shehab, a town in the Daraa governorate, which is in control of the Islamic State group. Shortly after, Mahmoud committed suicide.
Two completely destroyed Mi-17s were also found at the airbase.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)'In February 25, 2020 another Anka-S was shot down'
A photo of the helicopter released by state news agency SANA showed its charred remains.