The Syrian-Russian exercises took place amid rising tensions in the region
The statement by President Recep Erdogan on Turkey's readiness to conduct an "anti–terrorist operation" against Kurdish formations in the Manbij-Tell Rifaat area, together with the ongoing Israeli Air Force raids on "pro-Iranian formations", encourage the leadership of the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR) to consistently strengthen the country's air defense system. Among the measures taken is the establishment of close cooperation with the contingent of the Russian Armed Forces located on the territory of the SAR at the invitation of the legitimate government of the country.
On the website of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation published a message about a joint exercise of Russian and Syrian pilots to repel air strikes of a conditional enemy. It says that the aviators of the two countries conducted air patrols together, the route of which ran along the Golan Heights, as well as the southern, eastern and northern parts of the Arab Republic. The Aerospace Forces of Russia were represented by multi-purpose Su-35S fighters, Su-24M and Su-34 front-line bombers from the Khmeimim airbase in Latakia province. The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has raised MiG-23ML and MiG-29 interceptors from Seikal and Dumair airfields in the vicinity of Damascus.
During the execution of the training task, a pair of Su-35S of the Russian Aerospace Forces and six Syrian MiGs conducted an air battle with the aircraft of a conditional enemy. According to legend, manned and unmanned aerial vehicles invaded the airspace of the SAR, it was necessary to intercept them. "The Syrian pilots acted under the cover of their Russian colleagues and hit targets with regular aviation weapons," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. – Launches of guided missiles of the air–to-air class were carried out on targets designated by luminous aircraft bombs SAB-250."
The frames of the video of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation clearly show the MiG-23ML with the identification marks of the SAR Air Force, as well as the MiG-29, which launches air–to-air guided missiles of the R-27 family. And in the story posted online by the Syrian military, front-line MiG-21/bis fighters are captured flying in pairs over the province of Deir ez-Zor. The three types listed above form the basis of the fighter aircraft of the SAA Air Force. Its strike component is represented by front-line Su-24M bombers, Su-22M3/M4 fighter-bombers and MiG-23BN. During the Civil War, it was replenished with L-39 training aircraft, converted into attack aircraft by installing a pair of B-8 units with unguided 80 mm rockets under the wing.
All Syrian planes are very old, purchased before the start of the civil war in 2011. The exception is only a few (24 units) MiG-29 modifications 9-13, transferred in the summer of 2020 from the presence of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation free of charge. They supplemented the MiG-29 modifications 9-12 supplied to Syria in the period 1987-1988. Despite all the difficulties of the civil war, the Syrian command tried to keep them in reserve, sending rebels to bombard them only if absolutely necessary. For example, in the most difficult months, when no more than a tenth of the country's territory remained under government control.
At the same time, MiG-23MF fighters, as well as MiG-21MF/bis, which did not have a special sight for working on ground targets, often carried out bombing sorties. This is primarily due to the lack of specialized strike aircraft. Satisfactory bombing accuracy (the aircraft takes up to 2 tons of combat load) was rarely achieved.
A large number of sorties carried out and sometimes insufficient maintenance (due to the shortage of qualified technical personnel, sets of spare parts, tools and accessories) seriously reduced the fleet of Syrian MiGs. However, by the time of the military defeat of the "Islamic State" (activity is prohibited in the Russian Federation) The CAA Air Force still had several dozen MiG-23ML in flight condition. The solution to this "phenomenon" turned out to be simple: a certain batch of such machines (about 30) was purchased on the international used aircraft market. Compliance with the secrecy regime helped to keep the transaction secret for some time.
But everything secret once becomes clear, especially since the MiG-23MF/ML was often bombed by the rebels. It is easy for an experienced eye to distinguish the "additional batch" aircraft from the total mass: they differ in the presence of an "aerodynamic tooth" in the root of the fixed part of the wing and a vortex generator on the air pressure receiver. This is a characteristic feature of the machines of the most advanced modification – MLD (23-18), whereas Syria did not receive them directly from the manufacturer (export versions 23-22 and 23-47 did not have such aerodynamic innovations).
The planes of the "additional batch" previously served in the Soviet Air Force and underwent numerous improvements in the conditions of the aircraft repair plant. In addition to the "aerodynamic tooth", these include: an updated onboard radar station ("Sapphire-23MLA-2"), an improved heat direction finder, a modified flight control system, etc. All this was absent on the MiG-23ML aircraft of export appearance.
Damascus acquired the upgraded aircraft in 2008. By that time, the Soviet Union had collapsed, and the former Soviet republics, which had become independent states, refused to continue operating all single-engine MiG aircraft. Used planes were put up for sale, but no one was interested. In addition to the Syrians, who were guided by the following considerations: firstly, aircraft from long-term storage sites were offered cheaply, secondly, the MiG-23ML (23-22, 23-47) was well mastered by the CAA personnel, and the MLD variant (23-18), which has a lot in common, offered increased tactical and technical characteristics. Thirdly, the selected aircraft had a large residual resource.
At the turn of the century, the MiG-23ML still had some potential for further modernization along the line of sensors and an arsenal of guided weapons. RSC MiG implemented it on the MiG-23–98, a demonstration sample of which was submitted for flight tests. The refinement of the sighting equipment allowed the use of new types of air–to-air missiles: RVV-AE medium and R-73E short-range. Although the developer's proposal did not attract customers, some solutions tested on the MiG-23–98 were able to find application on aircraft during the passage of heavy forms of maintenance.
In addition to Russia, specialists from Ukraine and Belarus were engaged in the modernization of MiG aircraft. Large aircraft repair enterprises are located on the territories of these countries, where various types of aircraft maintenance are performed up to major repairs. National defense-industrial complexes include enterprises capable of refining the on-board complex of fighter aircraft in order to improve their characteristics. Syria took advantage of this. In particular, the MiG-29s are equipped with a Belarusian electronic warfare system placed in suspended containers of the Talisman type. Perhaps something similar has found application on the Syrian MiG-23ML/MLD.
The prototype MiG-23 (23-11/1) performed its first flight on June 10, 1967. Over the past 55 years, scientific and technological progress has gone far ahead. The last serial MiG-23ML for foreign customers was assembled in 1985. The "youngest" of them is already 37 years old. Age takes its toll, but veteran planes continue to fly. Due to the aggravation of the situation on the northern borders, the Syrians cannot yet send them to rest. Of course, in an air duel, it is difficult for a supersonic fighter of the third generation to resist the more modern F-16C of the Turkish Air Force and even more so the ultra-modern F-35A of the Israeli Air Force. However, the country's air defense system, built on the basis of anti-aircraft missile systems, shows much higher efficiency in the interaction of anti-aircraft gunners with interceptor aircraft, even if not the most modern.
There are areas where the MiG-23MLD surpasses the F-16C and F-35A, for example, in terms of maximum speed (2500 km/h) and altitude (17,700 m) of flight. In certain modes, it shows the best acceleration and braking due to the use of the wing console rotation mechanism (varies within 18-74 degrees along the leading edge). The rate of climb at the ground is 230 m / s, which is close to the indicators of foreign aircraft of the fourth generation.
The Sapphire-23MLA-2 radar detects aerial targets and targets them with weapons of destruction not only in free space but also against the background of the earth. The "main caliber" in the face of the medium-range guided missile R-24 has two versions, radar (R-24R) and thermal (R-24T) guidance. A projectile about 4.5 m long and with a starting mass of almost a quarter of a ton carries a 35 kg warhead capable of destroying a strategic bomber. All-angle homing heads (GOS) ensure the capture of targets against the ground, including small-sized types of cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. The maximum launch range is 50 km.
If the R-24 was created exclusively for the MiG-23, then the R-73E short-range missile (weighing 105 kg, launch range up to 30 km) is included in the arsenal of all domestic fighters of the 4th generation. In recent years, its modification RVV-MD with increased characteristics has appeared. Perhaps it will be suitable for the MiG-23MLD without any alterations. Since during the MiG-23–98 program, the fighter's fire control system was interfaced with the RVV-AE medium-range missile, it is possible that this work can be implemented on the MiG-23MLD combatant (especially since the production of the R-24 has been discontinued for a long time, and the warranty periods for the storage of previously released ones have passed). In this case, the interceptor's missile armament can be considered quite modern.
On the night of September 18, 2018, an Il-20M electronic reconnaissance aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces was inadvertently shot down by a S-200 missile fired by Syrian air defense systems at Israeli bombers. 15 Russian officers aboard RF-93610 were killed. The Russian Defense Ministry blamed the Israeli side for their deaths. The Russian President said that such operations are being undertaken in violation of the sovereignty of Syria. And the Russian Defense Minister ordered the transfer of three divisions of the S-300PM-2 SAM to the Syrian military from the presence of the Russian Defense Ministry to replace the outdated S-200. Army General Sergei Shoigu said: "Russia will supply Syria with modern automated control systems (ACS) for the command posts of the Syrian air defense, which until today were in service only with the Russian army. This will ensure centralized management of all Syrian air defense forces and means, monitoring of the air situation and prompt issuance of target designations."
Almost four years have passed since those memorable events. During this time, the SAA servicemen mastered new types of air defense systems and automated air defense systems, as well as MiG-29 fighters of modification 9-13 transferred to them. As the joint exercises with the Russian Aerospace Forces have shown, the defenders of the Syrian sky are ready to repel the aggressor.
Vladimir Karnozov
