Air Strikes by VKS & SyAAF, 13 June 2017

Multiple reports of several high-flying aircraft underway over Homs and in north-eastern direction, around 02.25 in the night, might…

Jun 14, 2017

Multiple reports of several high-flying aircraft underway over Homs and in north-eastern direction, around 02.25 in the night, might indicate that the Russians have returned a part of their contingent from Hmemmem AB back home.

At 03.05, however, two Russian Su-24s were registered while underway in southern, i.e. direction of Dera’a. This obviously woke-up the local observers, then additional take-offs from Hmemmem AB were then registered at 03.48, 03.50, 03.55, and 03.59, and all of these went in south-eastern direction.

The SyAAF went into action at ‘office hours’, starting at 08.37, by launching a single Su-22 from Tiyas AB in northern direction. At 08.37, this was followed by another Su-22, this time from Shayrat AB. One jet — probably a Su-22 — launched from Nayrab at 10.05, and then one Russian fighter-bomber took-off from Hmemmem AB, at 10.33. The first Su-24 took-off from Tiyas at 11.54.

Around 12.29, two Russian fighter-bombers passed high above Houla in south-eastern direction. followed by other two at 12.38. Almost unsurprisingly, their operations resulted in reports of air strikes on Dera’a using FAE-bombs.

Around 14.04, there was finally a report about one of Russian helicopters taking off from Tiyas and distancing in eastern direction. Few minutes later, two additional VKS bombers lifted off from Hmemmem AB; further five VKS helicopters launched from Tiyas between 15.34 and 15.59.

Sometimes during the day, the insurgents in southern Syria announced they have shelled Kheklhekh AB, and thus there was no activity from there. But, at 15.58, one SyAAF helicopter was reported as underway from Damascus in southern direction, and this was followed by another at 16.04. Meanwhile, at 16.01 Kweres launched one fighter bomber (type was not reported) in eastern direction.

More activity followed during next few minutes. The VKS launched two fighter-bombers from Hmemmem in south-eastern direction at 16.09 and 16.10, plus a helicopter from Tiyas at 16.13, while Shayrat got one Su-22 airborne at 16.20. Yet another Russian helicopter lifted off from Tiyas at 16.24, and a Su-22 from Shayrat at 16.40.

At 17.45, a Su-24 scrambled from Tiyas, and then two Russian helicopters did the same at 17.49. Another Su-24 took-off from the same base at 18.02, while Hmemmem launched two fighter-bombers at 18.22. Finally, a single Su-22 took-off from Tiyas at 18.25 — again in north-eastern direction. Much of this was related to the Assadist and Russian push on the village of Arak, on the road connecting Palmyra with Dayr az-Zawr, but some also to the Hezbollah’s (not ‘SAA’) push south of Tabqa, which yielded quite some advance yesterday.

There followed a break of more than one hour, until two VKS fighter-bombers launched from Hmemmem AB, at 19.49 and 19.51. Tiyas then launched two additional Su-24s (at 19.59 and 20.14), and one at 22.01, and Hmemmem one VKS fighter-bomber at 22.38.

Overall, this was quite an intensive day, with most of activity being directed against the Daesh in eastern Homs but also against insurgents in Dera’a area.

Totals

VKS

fighter-bombers: 19

helicopters: 10

UAVs: 7

recce: 0

SyAAF

unknown: 1

L-39s: 0

helicopters: 2

MiG-21s: 0

MiG-23s: 0

Su-22s: 7

Su-24s: 4

***

UPDATE

A photo surfaced showing a MiG-23BN bombing Daesh in eastern Homs, and
one more flight was recorded late in the evening: around 23.18, report about which surfaced only around the noon of yesterday.

Thus, here corrected totals for 13 June 2017: