Air Strikes on Northern Hama, 21 March 2017
Once the FSyA and the HTS launched their offensive into northern Hama, on 21 March, it as very interesting to follow the slow reaction of…
Once the FSyA and the HTS launched their offensive into northern Hama, on 21 March, it as very interesting to follow the slow reaction of the SyAAF (Syrian Arab Air Force) and the VKS (Russian AirSpace Force).
Namely, there was next to none for the first 24 hours. Through 21 and most of the 22nd, the Russians continued bombing the are between Jishr ash-Shughour, Sarqib, and Kfar Nabl; sporadically (during the afternoon of the 21 March, for example), they bombed Ma’arat Nauman too. But, they did not attack any place closer to the frontlines.
During the night from 21st to 22nd March, there were reports about ‘nocturnal attacks by Russian helicopters’ from his area. However, not a single such sortie was registered by anybody — so also not by Sentry Syria.
On the contrary: only SyAAF flew air strikes on the area between Kfar Zita and Latamina during that period — and yes, by night.
While I have my own sources about whom I can’t talk, everybody else can easily follow related sorties via Sentry Syria. This reported the following sorties launched from Hama the last evening and night (and, keep in mind: there are no Russian aircraft or helicopters based at Hama):
17:33: 1 helicopter (apparently bombed Sarqib)
18.18: 1 helicopter (flew away in northern direction)
18.40: 1 helicopter (flew away in northern direction)
19.07: 1 L-39 sighted while underway over Hreitan flying in direction of Sarqib (this one probably came from Shayrat or Tiyas)
20.22: 1 helicopter (flew away in northern direction)
20.53: 1 helicopter (flew away in northern direction)
21.22: 1 helicopter (this one bombed Ra’astan, in northern Homs)
21.27: 1 helicopter (this one bombed Sarqib)
22.36: 1 L-39 (this one attacked something near Latamina)
22.59: 1 helicopter (flew away in northern direction)
23.02: 1 helicopter (flew away in northern direction)
23.42: 1 L-39 (flew away in northern direction)
00.03: 1 L-39 (flew away in northern direction)
00.19: 1 L-39 bombed Sarqib (this one probably came from Tiyas)
00.26: 1 L-39 (flew away in northern direction)
01.17: 1 helicopter (flew away in northern direction)
01.23: 1 L-39 (flew away in northern direction)
01.26: 1 helicopter (flew away in northern direction)
02.01: 1 L-39 (flew away in northern direction)
03.01: 1 L-39 (flew away in northern direction).
(For everybody’s orientation: this is something like the same number of sorties flown L-39s on average every day during the final battle for Eastern Aleppo.)
These were the aircraft and helicopters that were bombing HTS and FSyA troops in northern Hama during that night — and then as ‘much’ as reported in the social media.