Air Strikes by VKS & SyAAF, 12 June 2017

Contrary to usual practice (air strikes, recce etc.), flying activity began only at 03.14, with Hama’s ‘early morning helicopter’.

Contrary to usual practice (air strikes, recce etc.), flying activity began only at 03.14, with Hama’s ‘early morning helicopter’.

Tiyas launched its first Su-24 of the day at 05.03, but most of activity early in the morning was by helicopters from Marj Ruhayyil and Khelkleh. No less than four of these were airborne by 05.11. Tiyas then launched another Su-24 at 05.42, a Su-22 at 05.43, another Su-22 at 05.45, Dmeyr launched one Su-24 at 05.45, then another at 05.49. All of these went in north-eastern direction, i.e. should have bombed something in the Daesh-held areas.

‘Russian fighter-bombers’ were sighted over Houla underway in southern direction at 05.55 and 06.05, but then nothing was going on at Hmemmem AB until 07.25, when one of Russian reconnaissance aircraft (apparently the A-50) took-off. The latter was last sighted circling above Lataminah around the noon.

Tiyas commenced launching its next wave with a Su-22 at 07.10, then Su-22 at 07.21; Shayrat added one Su-22 at 07.29, as-Safira launched two helicopters at 07.39 and 07.52, Hama a MiG-21 at 08.20, another Su-22 took-off from Tiyas at 08.29, then a Su-22 from Shayrat at 08.46, Su-22 from Tiyas at 08.59, Su-24 from Dmeyr at 10.00, Su-24 from Dmeyr at 10.06, helicopter from Khelkhleh at 11.11, as-Sien AB launched a MiG-23 at 11.19 (this bombed the Dera’a area), and another MiG-23 took-off from Hama at 11.39.

Unsurprisingly after all of this activity, the early afternoon was rather quiet. Only one Su-22 launched from an-Nassiriyah at 14.51, and flew away in southern direction.

More activity was registered hours later: a Russian fighter-bomber launched from Hmemmem AB at 16.52, a Su-22 from Tiyas at 17.12, and another Russian from Hmemmem AB at 17.12. As-Sien launched one helicopter at 17.37, and then a MiG-23 at 17.37: both of these bombed the Dera’a area, just like the MiG-23 that launched from an-Nassiriyah at 17.42, and eleven (to make sure: 11!!) helicopters that got airborne from Khelkhleh between 17.51 and 18.20.

There was no activity for most of the next few hours, until a Russian fighter bomber launched from Hmemmem AB, at 22.24, and another at 23.04. One L-39 took off from Hama AB at 23.45. A Russian reconnaissance aircraft closed the day by a take-off from Hmemmem AB at 23.59.

Totals

VKS

fighter-bombers: 7

helicopters: 4 (there are simply no other reports indicating their activity but such like this one and this one, although they should be ‘flying a lot’)

UAVs: 6

recce: 2

SyAAF

L-39s: 1

helicopters: 20

MiG-21s: 1

MiG-23s: 2

Su-22s: 12

Su-24s: 6