Russian Air Force and Syrian Arab Air Force conducted their first joint air patrol on January 24th, with the former deploying Su-35 and Su-34 heavyweight fighters and the latter MiG-29s and MiG-23s for operations along the Golan Heights and the Euphrates River. The Russian Defence Ministry reported regarding the operations: “The mission’s route ran along the Golan Heights, the southern order, the Euphrates River and over northern Syria. Russian pilots took off from the Khmeimim Airbase, while Syrians took off from the Seikal and Dumayr airfields outside Damascus.” The ministry statement further elaborated that a Russian A-50 early warning and control aircraft took part in the operations, which involved simulated combat. “During the patrol mission, Syrian pilots controlled airspace and provided fighter cover, while Russian crews practiced attacks on ground targets,” the ministry reported, and that “the two countries’ pilots developed skills for cooperation in various situations. This kind of joint missions will now take place on a regular basis.”
Continue reading Here