Air Strikes by VKS & SyAAF, 29 April 2017

Just a minimal analysis, since I lack time for more. The VKS launched one wave of 16 aircraft by 01.30, then continued with a ‘gorrilla wave’ that began around 03.00hrs, and went through the entire morning and well into the afternoon.

Afternoon and evening ‘campaign’ began around 18.00hrs: between then and the midnight the VKS launched a total of 38 air strikes.

The SyAAF flew relatively little.

VKS

fighter-bombers: 110

helicopters: 5

UAVs: 9

recce: 1

Particularly notable: photographic evidence indicating the VKS has deployed one of its A-50 SRDLO (Russian for ‘AWACS’) early warning aircraft to Hmemmem AB. If we manage to cross-confirm this, it would be the first such deployment in nearly two years of the Russian military intervention in Syria.

That said, such a deployment would be perfectly logical, considering the number of tactical aircraft the Russians are now operating in the country.

SyAAF

helicopters: 9

L-39s: 2

MiG-21s: 3

MiG-23s: 3

Su-22s: 4

Su-24s: 7