Showing posts with label Syrian Arab Army. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Syrian Arab Army. Show all posts

Sunday, 3 October 2021

,

Modern Wartime Designs: The Syrian Shams MRL

Damascus , Exotic Armour 0 Comments


By Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans
 
The Syrian Arab Army's Armoured Divisions are well known for operating several types of tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles upgraded with additional armour. Having performed these armour upgrades on a range of armoured fighting and support vehicles, one of the Armoured Divisions (1st AD) expanded its arsenal once more in 2016 by introducing a new type of multiple rocket launcher (MRL), popularly known as 'Shams', meaning Sun in Arabic. It's thought its nickname was derived from that of the aesthetically similar Russian TOS-1A 'Solntsepyok, which has been referred to as 'Sun' during its deployment by the Russian military in Syria.
By -
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, 23 November 2020

,

Fighting Attrition: A Look Inside a Damascus Armour Repair Facility

armour repair workshop , BMP-1 0 Comments

By Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans

The following photos were taken during a visit of a Russian journalist to a small armour repair facility in the suburbs of Damascus in June 2017. While already several years old – with several of the armoured fighting vehicles pictured likely having been lost to combat damage since – the images nevertheless provide an interesting insight into the inner workings of a small Syrian tank workshop.
By -
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, 29 February 2020

,

The Idlib Turkey Shoot: The Destruction and Capture of Vehicles and Equipment by Turkish and Rebel Forces

airstrikes , Aleppo 0 Comments

By Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans in collaboration with Jakub Janovsky and Calibre Obscura

Turkish air and ground strikes which commenced late on the 27th of February 2020 on positions of the Syrian Arab Army (SyAA) and affiliated forces hit a large number of targets throughout Idlib and Aleppo, leading to the complete collapse of government forces along this part of the frontline and allowing rebel forces to continue their advance after recapturing the strategic town of Saraqib. Launched in retaliation after the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers in an airstrike, Turkey has now entered a new phase in its war in Syria, and at present the long-term implications can only be guessed at.
By -
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, 8 February 2020

,

Rearming Syria: Russian deliveries of T-62MVs and BRM-1(K)s arrive

5th Corps , BMP-1 0 Comments

By Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans

After the delivery of T-62Ms, BMP-1s, BMP-2s and at least one 2S9 to the Syrian Arab Army since early 2017, new imagery and combat footage coming out of Syria's Idlib Governorate has now revealed that more variants of these types have been sent to the country onboard Russia's 'Syria Express'.

In accordance with Russia's role in the reinstatement of the Syrian Arab Army, it is also Russia that is responsible for training and equipping the new force. Although this led some to believe that Syria would receive additional T-72Bs, T-90s or even BMP-3s, all of which would be more advanced than the current armour composition of the regime forces, the deliveries until thus far have mostly included older weaponry excess to Russian requirements.
By -
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, 22 September 2018

,

Hide and Peek, Syria’s BRDM-2s

BRDM , BRDM-2 0 Comments

By Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans

The Boyevaya Razvedyvatelnaya Dozornaya Mashina, literally 'Combat Reconnaissance Patrol Vehicle', better known as BRDM, is an iconic vehicle that has largely been absent from the nearly seven-year long Syrian Civil War. While some analysts following the war continue to expect the BRDM to show up in large numbers at some point in the future, the fate of the vehicle had effectively been sealed after the Syrian Arab Army retired the majority of its BRDM-2s shortly before the start of the Syrian Revolution. Operating vast numbers of armoured fighting vehicles far more suitable for use in the Civil War that followed, only small numbers of BRDM-2s remained in use in recent years, most notably with the Russian Private Military Company 'Wagner' operating throughout Syria.
By -
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Thursday, 15 June 2017

,

Syria Rearms: Russian deliveries of BMP-2s and 2S9s arrive

2S9 , BMP-2 0 Comments

By Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans

After the first delivery of T-62Ms and BMP-1s to the Syrian Arab Army earlier this year, new imagery coming out of Syria has now revealed that more types of armoured fighting vehicles have recently been sent to the country onboard Russia's 'Syria Express'. These new deliveries come as government forces are currently making major gains in Eastern Homs against the fighters of Islamic State, and the new vehicles will likely be deployed here to bring the fight back to the Islamic State once and for all.
By -
Labels: , , , , , ,

Tuesday, 28 February 2017

,

Photo Report: The Syrian Arab Army (2)

Photo Reports , SyAA 0 Comments


By Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans

With the Syrian Ministry of Defense finally having embraced 21st century media technology, it now regularly uploads high-definition images on both its official website and twitter account. Despite this 'giant' leap forward, the Syrian MoD still only communicates to the outside world in Arabic, thereby excluding a large audience that could otherwise be interested in reading or viewing the MoD's statements on ongoing battles in the Syrian theatre. Nonetheless, the images published provide for a perfect opportunity for another 'Photo Report'.

By -
Labels: , , , , ,

Friday, 17 February 2017

,

Replenishing the Stocks: Russian deliveries of T-62Ms and BMP-1s reach Syria

5th Corps , BMP-1 0 Comments

By Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans

Following several rumours concerning the delivery of new armoured fighting vehicles to the Syrian Arab Army, images coming out of the war-torn country have now confirmed such a delivery did indeed take place in the form of T-62M tanks and BMP-1 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs). These newly delivered vehicles are destined for the Syrian Arab Army's 5th Corps, which is currently engaged in heavy combat with the Islamic State in between T4 airbase and Tadmur. Indeed, images and videos covering the fighting that currently takes place here have already confirmed the vehicles are doing their part in bringing the fight back to the Islamic State.
By -
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Sunday, 6 November 2016

,

Photo Report: The Syrian Arab Army (1)

Photo Reports , SyAA 0 Comments


By Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans

 
The following images were taken during Syrian Arab Army exercises over the past several years, including the large-scale exercise involving all branches of the Syrian Armed Forces in 2012. This exercise was carried out amid an increasingly deteriorating security situation in Syria, leading to calls from the international world for an intervention similar to the one seen in Libya. In response, the Syrian Armed Forces launched a several day long exercise to show its strength to the outside world.
By -
Labels: , , , ,

Monday, 24 August 2015

,

Sighting of Russian BTR-82A IFV leaves no doubt that Russia is throwing equipment into Syria

BTR-82A , infantry fighting vehicle 0 Comments

By Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans
 
Just days after the sighting of several BTR-80 variants among other military equipment bound for Syria onboard the Russian Navy ship Nikolay Filchenkov, an Alligator-class landing ship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, more advanced Russian-made weaponry has apparently found its way to Syria, with the sighting of BTR-82As being the latest in a series of ill-reported weapon deliveries to the war torn country.
By -
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Monday, 20 July 2015

,

Russian Orlan-10 And Eleron-3SV Drones Take To Syria’s Skies

Drones , Eleron-3SV 0 Comments


By Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans

 

Recently published images of two drones that fell near the village of Ruveysli near Kasab and Arafit near Jisr al-Shughour in Syria's Lattakia Governorate on the 20th of July 2015 reveal that either Russia has supplied the regime with state-of-the-art unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or that Russia has embarked on a small-scale drone surveillance programme over Syria. If the latter turns out to be the case, it could be part of their greater intelligence programme to provide the Syrian regime with up-to-date information on the rebels' status and strength, which first became known to the world after the capture of the Центр С - المركز س - Center S SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) facility near al-Hara, Daraa Governorate.

By -
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,