RAF poised for air strikes in Syria

02 January 2013

Reporting from the corridors of Westminster, defence analyst Anthony Tucker-Jones reports that the Royal Air Force is more than capable of dealing with Syria's air defences

The failure of the international community to take direct military action in Syria is largely attributed to China and Russia's refusal to endorse any UN Security Council Resolution authorising force.

However, after two years of civil strife even senior Russian officials are now admitting the President Bashar al-Assad's regime may not weather the storm.

The strength of Syria's air defences has also been invoked as another reason for international feet dragging. Syrian surface-to-air missiles include the Russian designed and built SA-2, SA-3, SA-5, SA-6 and SA-7.

The SA-6 in particular acquired a formidable reputation in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War when the Egyptians deployed it against the Israeli Air Force.

The missile initially proved immune to electronic counter measures and evasive action. Eventually using ECM the IAF was able to regain dominance in the air, but not before the Arabs destroyed 115 Israeli aircraft.

Many though argue that the Syrian Air Force is a paper tiger. Former Syrian Brigadier General Akil Hashem has claimed President Obama's administration is excuse-making when it invokes the power of the Syrian military.

Hashem points to 1982 when the IAF knocked out 19 Syrian SA-6 batteries in a series of air strikes in Lebanon and then proceed to destroy 91 Syrian fighters in air-to-air combat.

The Israelis simulated a phoney incoming raid forcing the Syrians to switch on their fire control radars. This revealed their exact locations and the Israelis were able to pinpoint and jam their equipment. In total 29 Syrian SAM sites were destroyed.

At least five different Syrian SAM systems were to be deployed in Lebanon most of them were radar guided. Only the SA-6 and SA-8 recorded single hits and the Israelis were swift to destroy the SA-8 batteries.

At RAF Spadeadam, the RAF's electronic warfare training centre, fast jet pilots have been testing their skills against refurbished SA-6 Straight Flush tracking radars. This unique facility is the only one of its kind in Europe.

Spadeadam's training equipment includes SA-6, SA-8, SA-10, SA-11 and the American T1 system (that emulates the SA-2 and SA-3) and T43 (which emulates the SA-6 and SA-8). The SA-6 is a tracked triple launcher supported by the radar vehicle. Pilots can also fly against gun radars such as the ZSU-23-4.

A Polish firm overhauled the RAF's SA-6 tracking units and this included digitisation of some of the systems in order to make them representative of those still in service. The first system has commenced a second upgrade due to be completed by the end of the year.

Spadeadam is now also upgrading two SA-8 systems. This wheeled launcher has self-contained on board search, acquisition, tracking and guidance radars.

Hasehm has argued that NATO fighters flying from Incirlik air base in Turkey and off a US carrier in the Mediterranean would be more than capable of enforcing a 120km deep no-fly zone along the Turkish-Syrian border.

In the meantime the RAF are making sure that they are up to the job if and when they get the call.

COMMENTS

Not that I believe you'll post this for one second but it'll give me satisfaction knowing the truth was told but the slimey British sell out media and pirates in Westminster had to hide it!

It is not a revolution in syria it is instigated well armed and well trained insurgency of the wests salafist tools, just like the ones let loose on the Iraqi society and the Libyans in 2011. For the most part those fighting are neither Syrian nor after any type of democracy, and those who are syrian fight more in fear of being killed by the crazy jihadists. This type if covert war has been a set method since the 2010 manual describing the unconventional warfare the us and its lackies will commit! This is to exploit any type of civil issues to then encite a civil conflict. In Libya they were successful with a sort of military coup but syria neither the coup or attempts at dividing sects was successful!

I mean its seriously laughable to think that the dumbed down idiots in the west don't question that a citizen after praceful reform somehow can hit a target from a 1000 ft away with a rifle.....rofl!

We all know those of us who do t watch stuff like towie that this is all for Israel, Iraq Iran and syria recently signed a pipe line deal worth 11 billion dollars, but the significant part is that it challenges the btc monopoly bp for those a little confused and of course the pipeline in use today that travels through both Israel and turkey! Syria also refused to abandon the Palestinians and cut ties with Hezbollah, the west calls them terrorists(oh the irony), I'd say a resistance to the scumbag imperialist ruling western class!

So in a nutshell the west wants to destroy a honourable country, one that stands on principle, remove a secular government in exchange for their puppet Muslim brotherhood hard line Islamists where all Christians will be killed just like Iraq! These bandits running round syria with their modified Toyota trucks. Air stinger missiles, etc etc no time to list what these people have kidnapped hundreds if not thousands if civilians and raped men children and elderly.

If the British people support this then in my eyes ur just like those jews that led other jews into the chambers!

We have a bunch of nut cases in charge of things both behind the gov(the real bosses) and those Doing their dirty work (Westminster and if course the British media).

Me as a British citizen stand with the Syrian people the Syrian Arab army and although not perfect president bashar al Assad, beats Cameron the loser hands down!
Beci - None of your imperialist business

Well said Beci
alt-f4

NATO and the coalition got ass whooped in Afghanistan and neither Cameron nor Obama wants to publicly take on Assad and Iran with Russia/China hovering on the outskirts.
The whole thing was supposed to be another Libyan do over without Western boots on the ground but turned out to be nothing more than another coalition wet dream .
lydia - Brisbane

Why focus on SAM missiles when Syria also has the S-300 system, which is a whole different ball-game ? There was some ambiguity over whether Russia really did supply them, but its announcement that "a NATO attack would not be tolerated" is a pretty clear indication.

This article is just another amateurish piece of war propaganda
Palloy - Australia

I have to say this is the most one sided story ive seen on here. Your saying we should be invading syria to help a bunch of rebels. Thier not innocent protestors fighting syrian goverment their highly trained , american armed soldiers not even from that country. How many times do they have to fund a terriorist organisation for you to see through the idiotic bs on the mainstream media? You find it normal that we are literlly picking one country after another in the same region who arent conneted to the central banking system? pls wake up and get a clue or i will terminate my involvment in this site. What an extremely poor report this story tells. Could you possibly be any more one sided?
Alan - Scotland