Brought to my attention by a reader, the following video shows a Syrian Mil Mi-8/17 Hip gunship helicopter spinning towards the ground after being hit at medium/high altitude on a mission near Idlib on Oct. 17.
The chopper leaves a trail of white smoke before exploding mid-air.
SA-7 MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defense Systems) have been reported in use by the Free Syrian Army and the one filmed near Idlib could have been hit by one of those shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles (SAMs).
Related Articles
- Video: Syrian rebels down another helicopter gunship outside Damascus (theaviationist.com)
- This may be the first video taken on board a Syrian Arab Air Force gunship helicopter during a mission against the rebels (theaviationist.com)
- Video: Rebels down Syrian Arab Air Force Mig-23BN fighter jet in East Syria (theaviationist.com)
- Video: Assad’s gunship helicopter shot down by rebel forces in Damascus, Syria (theaviationist.com)
- Syria: Mig-21 firing rockets caught on tape (theaviationist.com)
- Syria has tested chemical weapons systems using tanks and helicopters. (theaviationist.com)
- Syrian helicopters’ PSYOPS missions: leaflet drop (theaviationist.com)
- Syria: this is what being fired upon by an L-39 jet looks like (theaviationist.com)
If this one is authentic – & it looks a lot realer than most of their stuff – this is not good news.
Hundreds of these things went walkabouts from warehouses in Libya, seized by the islamist militias. Most would have to be restored, as apparently the batteries fade out after a while, but it looks like Qatar has stepped up to the plate.
There has already been an attempt on an Israeli helicopter which missed, & their first few attempts at Syrian choppers reportedly missed.
Looks like they’re getting better at it.
http://the-trigger.tumblr.com/
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/for-first-time-palestinians-in-gaza-fire-missile-at-iaf-helicopter.premium-1.470387