Syrian AF Fights ISIS With Antiquated MiGs

The Syrian Air Force is using its antiquated MiG aircraft to defense Syria against terrorists and their supporters.

Syria is using its over four decades old MiG-21 which it bought in the 1960s and MiG-23 which were bought a decade later in the fight against Islamic State.

“It’s a strong tough plane, and safe as well. It does everything we ask of it,” an unnamed Syrian pilot was quoted as saying by RT News. A group of Russian and Arab journalists had been taken to a Syrian air base on Thursday.

Syrian Arab News Agency quoted an unnamed pilot one of whom has been in active duty for 27 years and piloting a MiG-21 as saying that he carries out between 2 to 4 combat missions against terrorist organizations per day.

“The Russian Aerospace Defence Forces entered the battle against terrorism, targets are being picked via a coordination office liaising between the Syrian and Russian air forces, and the targets – which include terrorists’ command centers, combat equipment, military convoy, vehicles, or artillery – are selected with great care and dealt with in a very precise manner,” another pilot, a brigadier general was quoted by the news agency as saying.

The Syrian Air Force has MiG-17s, MiG-21s, Mig-23, MiG-25, MiG-29, MiG-31 and Su-17 aircraft in its kitty.

Apart from the Syrian Air Force, all the other countries participating in the Syrian War are using latest fighter jets and weaponry. Russia has flown its Su-24, Su-25, Su-30 fighter aircraft and Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters in Syria. The US and its NATO allies have deployed F-22, F-16s, Dassault Rafale and Eurofighters.

Apart from the aircraft and helicopters, Russia has also deployed 36 armored personnel carriers, nine tanks and two air-defense missile systems in Syria.  Russia used its latest ground attack aircraft Su-25SM3, a variant of Su-25. The variant is fitted with Vitebsk-25 EW system, L-370-3S digital active jamming station, PrNK-25SM Bars aiming and navigation unit for operation with the GLONASS satellite navigation system.

Russia has also used an array of guided missiles H-29L, KH-25 and KAB-500, Betab-500 air bombs in air raids on "terrorist positions" in Syria.

The US used F-22 stealth fighter jets in combat for the first time in Syria in 2014. F-22 Raptor is USAF’s fifth generation fighter aircraft that can be employed in multiple roles.