A new impressive photo unveils a large presence of Su-25 attack planes at airbase near Latakia.
A new impressive satellite image has just been released.
It shows at least 12 Su-25 Frogfoot attack planes lined-up on the secondary runway at al-Assad airbase near Latakia, the same airfield hosting the four Russian Air Force Su-30SM multirole combat planes.
It looks like the Frogfoots, the Russian aircraft most suitable for Air Interdiction and potential Close Air Support missions against ISIS have eventually arrived in Syria.
They will operate alongside the Su-24 Fencer jets spotted trailing an Il-78/76 plane over Homs on Sept. 20 (not visible in the latest satellite snapshots).
According to the most recent reports, as many as 28 Russian planes have already been deployed to Syria. The question is: where are those not exposed by satellite imagery yet.
This is not the first time the Su-25 is deployed in the region to fight IS militants: on Jul. 1, 2014 seven Frogfoot attack planes operated by the Pasdaran (informal name of the IRGC – the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution) deployed to Imam Ali Airbase, in Iraq, to join the ex-Russian Air Force Su-25s already delivered to Iraq in the air war against ISIS (Al Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant).
Image credit: AllSource Analysis | GeoNorth | Airbus
Related articles
How does this compare to the amount of drones and fighter bombers we have in Syria?
We have none Roland. They are all outside of Syria. Based in the Gulf, Cyprus, or Turkey.
Now that the russians are in, there will probably be no more pussyfooting against the rebels. The lack of interdiction from the western alliance has been appalling in my view, Islamic state should be fought much harder than it is today.
Well some time ago I might have believed that. However reading up on the last 50 yrs of British military intervention, mission details and public knowledge have been sometimes very distant things.
Now speaking of that alliance… Do we now no longer need a UN mandate for this stuff? If removing Assad was the name of the game, why was not the Russian offer taken up in 2012 to replace him? & seeing you are so keen on removing ISIS, why not remove their funding from Saudi by invading them? or do you think that their desire to spread Wahhabism is just fine? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3242354/Saudi-offer-build-200-mosques-Germany-Syrian-migrants-slammed-cynical-Kingdom-not-offered-refugees-themselves.html
Interesting points raised here!
nice photoshot there…
Looking for the remaining 12 Russian aircraft? Check the air base just to the northeast of Al Dabaa. Not much of a big secret.
What do you mean ?
I was wondering, who is buying all this great and recent satellite imagery for the general public. A government, an intelligence service ? It must be expensive ?
ISIL is not linked to Al-Qaeda anymore. It’s broken off a few years ago. Al-Qaeda linked groups (such as Nusra Front) actually fight ISIL now, and are also the targets of coalition strikes.
Whatever, both groups are ‘Islamic’ extremists as are the most of the foreign backed invaders on Syrian soil.