Russia, Syria conduct joint air patrol mission over Syrian airspace

Middle East, News January 25, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Russia and Syria held a joint air patrol mission over the Syrian territory on January 24, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Russian and Syrian military pilots conducted air patrol missions along the Golan Heights and the Euphrates. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russia’s Su-34 and Su-35 fighter jets and A-50 early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft joined the Syrian Air Force’s MiG-23 and MiG-29 aircraft in the patrol mission.

“Russian pilots took off from the Hmeymim Air Base, while Syrians took off from the Seikal and Dumayr airfields outside Damascus,” the statement read.

“During the patrol mission, Syrian pilots controlled the airspace and provided fighter cover, while Russian crews practiced attacks on ground targets,” the statement added.

The route of the air patrol was as follows: along the Golan Heights, then the southern border, along the Euphrates River, and on to northern Syria.

According to the statement, the missiles were fired at ground targets at one of the training grounds in the central region of the country.

*^{Russian Su-30 aircraft at the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. (Image Credit: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti)}*

“The two countries’ pilots developed skills for cooperation in various situations. This kind of joint missions will now take place on a regular basis,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Russian forces have been in Syria since 2015 when they entered the civil war in a bid to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.