Rebels destroy at least seven Russian warplanes in Syria

REBELS DESTROY AT LEAST SEVEN RUSSIAN WARPLANES IN SYRIA

By Dario Leone
Jan 6 2018
Share this article

At least four Su-24 bombers, two Su-35S fighters and an An-72 transport plane, as well as an ammunition depot, were destroyed by the shelling

Russian daily Kommersant reported on Jan. 3, 2018 that at least seven Russian warplanes were destroyed by rebel shelling at the Hmeymim air base in Syria on Dec. 31, 2017.

The news has been confirmed by Reuters which explains that the attack has caused the single biggest loss of military hardware for Russia since it launched air strike in Syria in autumn 2015. In fact more than 10 servicemen were wounded in the attack by “radical Islamists.”

Rebels destroy at least seven Russian warplanes in Syria

At least four Su-24 fighter bombers, two Su-35S fighters and an An-72 transport plane, as well as an ammunition depot, were destroyed by the shelling, Kommersant said on its website, citing two “military-diplomatic” sources. The news has been confirmed by Lost Weapons Twitter profile which along with images of one of the Su-24s (specifically the Fencer “Tail Number 29”) damaged during the attack says that at least some of the Su-24s and Su-35s were back in action.

According to Kommersant, Russian defence ministry had not commented.

Earlier on Wednesday, the ministry said a Mil Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter had crash-landed in Syria on Dec. 31 due to a technical fault and two pilots died.

Rebels destroy at least seven Russian warplanes in Syria

Noteworthy, even though last month President Vladimir Putin has ordered a “significant” withdrawal of his military from Syria, declaring their work largely, Russia began establishing a permanent presence at Hmeymim and a naval base at Tartous.

Photo credit: Lost Weapons Twitter profile


Share this article

Dario Leone

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Share this article


Share this article
Share this article

Always up to date! News and offers delivered directly to you!

Get the best aviation news, stories and features from The Aviation Geek Club in our newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.



    Share this article
    Back to top
    My Agile Privacy
    This website uses technical and profiling cookies. Clicking on "Accept" authorises all profiling cookies. Clicking on "Refuse" or the X will refuse all profiling cookies. By clicking on "Customise" you can select which profiling cookies to activate. We and our selected ad partners can store and/or access information on your device, such as cookies, unique identifiers, browsing data. You can always choose the specific purposes related to profiling by accessing the advertising preferences panel, and you can always withdraw your consent at any time by clicking on "Manage consent" at the bottom of the page.

    List of some possible advertising permissions:

    You can consult: our list of advertising partners, the Cookie Policy and the Privacy Policy.
    Warning: some page functionalities could not work due to your privacy choices