Air Strikes by VKS & SyAAF, 10 May 2017

Compared to the times from back in March and April this year, it feels strange to ‘count registered sorties’ the last few days — because…

Compared to the times from back in March and April this year, it feels strange to ‘count registered sorties’ the last few days — because there are so few of these. Indeed, the VKS and the SyAAF flew less in the last 4–5 days, than on a single day in late April.

This day began with the VKS launching three fighter-bombers at 00.41–00.43, while the SyAAF launched a single L-39 from Hama and Shayrat each at 00.51 and 00.55, then another from Hama at 02.09. All of these attacked the Latamina area.

During the morning, both air forces seem to have re-oriented on fighting the Daesh. The helicopter that launched from as-Safira at 08.49, turned in eastern direction; three Su-24s from Tiyas, launched at 08.57, 09.00, and 09.19, initially went up north, but seem to have bombed the Daesh too. Only one (Russian) recce aircraft was reported as active over Sarqib area around 09.38.

There followed a longer break, until 13.13, when a single VKS fighter-bomber launched from Hmemmem AB, and 13.22, when a helicopter took off from as-Safira. Additional take-offs from Hmemmem AB were registered at 13.59 and 14.18 (x2). These passed high above Lataminah, but seem not to have bombed.

The VKS lauched two additional fighter-bombers at 15.32 and 15.55, then another at 16.27, but it’s unclear what did they bomb. AT 16.36, and at 17.26, Kweres launched a single Su-22 each: both flew away in eastern direction, i.e. probably bombed something within Daesh-held areas. Same is valid for the Su-24 that launched from Tiays at 19.17hrs.

Curiously, when fighting the Daesh, neither air force is operating as intensively as when fighting insurgents and the HTS in Idlib and Aleppo. At least not with fighter-bombers. Instead, it seems that most of such operations are ‘reserved’ for Russian helicopters, 10 of which are said to have been transferred from Hmemmem and Sanobar to an unknown air base in eastern central Syria, on this day.

Thus, it was only at 21.39 that Nayrab launched a single L-39, followed by another from Shayrat at 21.46. Similarly, the next sorties by the VKS were registered only at 22.12, 22.18 and 23.18.

Totals

VKS

fighter-bombers: 14

helicopters: 10?

UAVs: 4

recce: 1

SyAAF

helicopters: 2

L-39s: 5

MiG-21s: 0

MiG-23s: 0

Su-22s: 2

Su-24s: 4