Air Strikes by VKS & SyAAF, 24 June 2017

With insurgents and the HTS launching their offensive ‘Road to Damascus’ (correct title We have No One Except You oh God), yesterday …

With insurgents and the HTS launching their offensive ‘Road to Damascus’ (correct title We have No One Except You oh God), yesterday - apparently with intention of widening the corridor connecting the Dera’a area with the area along armistice lines with Israel - one would expect for flying activity to increase.

As so often so far, next to nothing of that was to be seen yesterday early in the morning: not only the SyAAF, but the VKS too, always need something like 24 hours to react to any major developments on the ground. A helicopter took off from Almazza at 00.02, and went in southern direction, as did a VKS fighter-bomber that overflew Houla around 00.22. Another helicopter left Almazza at 01.07, and another VKS fighter-bomber passed Houla around 02.35. Two others did so at 03.40 and 04.13. By 09.09, the VKS’ sole A-50 AWACS/SRDLO was airborne over western Idlib too. Furthermore, the VKS seems to have launched two helicopters to provide CAS in eastern Homs.

Assadists went into action at 10.14, when a Su-22 lifted off Tiyas AB. This, however, turned in northern direction — just like a Su-22 from Shayrat at 11.03, a MiG-23 from Nassriyah at 11.54, and a Su-24 from as-Sien at 11.59. Indeed, two Su-22s that launched from Shayrat at 13.18 and 13.31, also flew away in northern direction.

Perhaps it was the Israeli air strikes — which knocked out at least two MBTs - that kept the regime fliers away from southern Syria. As far as can be assessed, the IASF flew at least three air strikes against regime and Hezbollah in Kawn Marj Burghuth, and al-Ba’ath City, killing at least two (furthermore, Col/Brig Gen Kamal Mahmoud was KIA during fighting on the ground), while two MBTs were knocked out outside Quneitra.

…or, Damascus was simply taken by surprise. Whatever it was, Assadists continued launching sorties in northern direction, including a Su-22 from Tiyas at 14.36. Only two helicopters launched from Almazza at 13.44, then two launched at 15.20, and two MiG-29s that passed southern Damascus around 15.13–15.20, went south. Almazza launched additional helicopters towards the Dera’a area at 15.40 and 15.43, and another MiG-29 passed over southern Damascus around 16.03.

Illustrating how inprecise, perhaps even pointless, Assadist air strikes on Daesh are, shows that even the US military is providing CAS to Assadists and the IRGC in Palmyra area, just not the SyAAF and no VKS.

‘Trouble in the south’ eventually did prompt the SyAAF to re-direct more of its air strikes in that direction too. Namely, after launching one Su-24 in northern direction at 16.45, Tiyas then scrambled anotehr Su-24 towards south, at 16.46; another at 16.50, while Almazza then launched one helicopter towards Dera’a at 16.51, and another MiG-29 was noted above southern Damascus, around 16.52. At least one of air strikes hit Naemeh, outside Dera’a:

By that time, the situation on the ground along the Golan Heights was serious enough for Tiyas to launch two additional Su-24s at 17.02, Almazza one helicopter at 17.13 (this bombed Bayt Jinn), and Khelkhleh another at 17.16. Two other Su-24s were launched from as-Sien at 17.16 and 17.35, then two helicopters from Almazza at 17.39, and two Su-24s from Tiyas around 17.45. Indeed, at 17.54, Almazza scrambled no less than three helicopters at once, Tiyas then added a Su-22, at 18.12, at least two other Su-22s were reported while passing southern Damascus around 18.30, Tiyas launched another Su-22 at 18.39, and Dmeyr one Su-22 at 18.47.

However, with this, the SyAAF was out of steam. The next take-off was reported only at 21.36, when one Su-24 launched from Tiyas in northern direction.

Almazza scrambled its next helicopters towards south only at 22.55, then at 22.58, and 23.04. The last two were recorded at 23.25, and 23.42.

On the contrary, the Russians didn’t fly the entire afternoon. Seemingly, this was a bad day for them to take a day off…

Totals

VKS

fighter-bombers: 4

helicopters: 2

UAVs: 7

recce: 1

SyAAF

L-39s: 0

helicopters: 21

MiG-21s: 0

MiG-23s: 1

MiG-29s: 4 (first recorded sorties in months)

Su-22s: 10

Su-24s: 11