A number of tragic and mysterious shootings are afflicting the Russian war planes provided to the Syrian army.
12 March: A MIG-21 of the Syrian air force was shot down near the village of Kafr Nabudah, in the Hama area. The rebel group the Jaysh al-Nasr would have used two short-range missiles transportable on shoulder. The pilot, who had managed to jump out, was killed once reached the ground.
5 April: A Sukhoi-22 of the Syrian aviation was shot down near Aleppo by a single missile fired from the group al-Nusra. A different fate for the two crew members: one was killed, the other is still prisoner.
11 April: a Sukhoi-22 of the Syrian Air Force departed from the al-Dumayr airport, was struck in the outskirts of Damascus. It’s confirmed that the Islamic State used a Strela-2 missile. Despite the modest performance of the system, such as poor handling and precision, the missile hit the target without problems.
12 April: a Mi-28N attack helicopter stationed in Budyonnovsk, in southern Russia, crashed in Homs. Dead in the accident the two crew members.
The latest generation of Russian helicopters should offer a perfect shield against missiles Strela-2, Igla-1 and FN-6 that we know to be in Syria. If it was not a mechanical failure, it would be the first Russian loss of this helicopter model for enemy fire shots and we would have the proof of gaps in the defense system “S-President”.
The Western intelligence services never had any real certainty in the number and kind of anti-aircraft missiles in the hands of insurgents and terrorist organizations in Syria. Apparently, the Syrian context has already evolved.