From Dusk Till Dawn: Russian Round-the-Clock Retaliatory Attacks in Syria

Strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces have been performing round-the-clock combat sorties against terrorist positions in Syria for three days.

After the task is accomplished aircraft fly back to their bases – the Hmeymim air base outside Latakia, Mozdok in Russia’s North Ossetia, and Engels in Russia’s Saratov Region.

With the support of the Russian aviation, the Syrian Army is continuing its advance all along the frontline. Syrian troops have liberated dozens of cities and villages in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Idlib, and Homs.

Since Russia intensified its aerial operation, its warplanes have been conducting over 100 sorties a day.

On November 19 at 14:00 local time, the first Tu-95MS (Bear) strategic bomber landed at the Engels airfield. Its armament is used to destroy strategic ground targets.

After a little break, Tu-22M3 (Backfire C) strategic bombers took off from the Mozdok airfield to drop bombs on militant positions in the province of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor.

On November 19, the entire squadron of Tu-22 bombers was involved in the operation. Aircraft were taking off by twos every few minutes. During one sortie over two tons of munitions was fired against terrorists. For instance, Russian pilots dropped over 250 fragmentation bombs on militant training camps, ammo depots, and underground factories in eastern Syria.

The use of Russian long-range bombers in Syria has allowed for targeting all types of militants’ facilities. As a result of the massive bombardments, many terrorists are leaving their positions and running for their lives. Those who left are killed by Syrian forces during their ground offensive.

Russian long-range aviation is conducting a round-the-clock operation against terrorists in Syria. The tactics has proved effective, with dozens of destroyed Islamic State (ISIL) facilities.

Russian tactical bombers and ground attack jets have also intensified their strikes against terrorists. Night missions from the Hmeymim air base pose a challenge as pilots have no visible contact with the ground. But advanced Russian jets such as the Su-30SM and Su-34 are equipped with high-precision weapons capable of hitting targets at night.

Unlike a missile, a guided bomb has no engine, but is equipped with video camera. After the bomb is dropped it starts to transmit video signal to the aircraft cabin. The navigator can control its flight for a high-precision attack.

The KAB-500 bomb is a very high-precision weapon. It is dropped from an altitude of several kilometers and hits the target with an accuracy of three meters. The bomb is used to destroy terrorists’ ammo depots, command points and fortified areas. Another important task for Russian Su-34 bombers is destroying ISIL oil-transporting convoys and pipelines.