Syrian regime escalates air war: new video of Mil Mi-8 firing rockets

March 23, 2012 Syria

David Cenciotti

Yesterday, the first video of an Mi-8/Mi-17 using the side mounted machine gun to attack rebels near Azaz, was uploaded on Youtube.

Today, another video has emerged. It shows (in the first 20 seconds) an Mi-8 Hip firing rockets towards the rebels on the ground, during a daytime attack on Aleppo on Mar. 23, 2012.

Therefore, not only drones are flying in the Syrian airspace. Assad regime has started using some of its airworthy gunships against oppositors.

Time for a No-Fly Zone?

First video of a Syrian helicopter gunship attacking rebels near Azaz, northwest of Aleppo (theaviationist.com)
Video: inside view of military helicopter crash in Bosnia (theaviationist.com)
Special feature: all the weapons used by the Syrian regime on Homs. (theaviationist.com)

About David Cenciotti

David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.

Stephen says:

March 23, 2012 at 11:33 PM

Yes … time for a no fly Zone .. the americans have been giving the green light to Assad for months by saying it’s too difficult and they don’t want to get involved…

… really they should have been telling everyone how simple it would be to make life eaiser for the rebels and letting Assad’s imagination do the rest, I’m sure the Assad regime kept a very close eye on what happened in Libya..

I think I’d really pull my claws in if looking down the barrel of the US & Nato