
The Tu-214R is currently returning to Russia after a 14-day deployment to Syria.
The Russian Air Force Tu-214R ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance) aircraft that was deployed to Syria on Feb. 15 is seemingly returning home.
The aircraft could be tracked online on Flightradar24 thanks to the signals of its ADS-B transponder as it flew from Hmeymim airbase, near Latakia, over the southern Syrian airspace, then into Iraq: the aircraft is likely following the eastern corridor that overflies Iran and the Caspian Sea, and it is possibly returning to Kazan, where KAPO (Kazan Aircraft Production Association), the Russian company that builds the plane.
So, the aircraft has eventually completed its first tour of duty in Syria using its wide array of radar systems and electro optical sensors to map the position of the enemy forces or intercept the signals emitted by the enemy systems (radars, aircraft, radios, combat vehicles, mobile phones etc).
Into Iraq…
Russian Air Force SIGINT a/c #RA64514 pic.twitter.com/mli34pX34M— Civ & Mil Air ✈ (@CivMilAir) February 29, 2016
Most probably, among the weapons systems of interest there were also F-22 Raptors performing “kinetic situational awareness” tasks over Syria: the Tu-214R alongside the Il-20 Coot and other ground-based radars might have collected intelligence data needed to “characterize” the F-22’s signature at specific wavelengths.
Actually, there is someone who suggests the aircraft was withdrawn due to complications concerning its logistical maintenance requirements that forward away from Russia…
Image credit: Flightradar24.com
Yup, that Tu-214R ‘must’ have found all sorts of things in Syria or above it – except Daesh idiots that cut off the major supply line for ‘regime’ (read: 40,000 Iranian and Iraqi Shi’a) troops in southern Aleppo area…
The Su24M3 contingent at Khmeimim was increased by another 4.
The ceasefire holds for now, despite the turkish continued shelling of kurdish positions, and some provocations by “moderate” terrorists. Also ksa isn’t happy about it, and incites violations.
You just can’t say “kurds” … that’s like saying “syrians” … there’s factional and partisan divisions within the kurdish population. .. and not all kurdish groups are the same … just like not all syrian groups are the same
They only have one?
Last was reported by radio listeners and deployment observers is that the plane couldn’t be maintained outside of Russia & continued operations over Syria would see the plane & crew lost in a PR nightmare. An unacceptable risk for the PR based Russian regime