Russia To Upgrade Military Bases in Syria With Automated Control Systems

Russia’s military bases in Syria will be upgraded with automated control instruments to increase the defense of the facilities, according to TASS.

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said Wednesday that the Russian defense ministry is working on installation of the systems in the military bases in Hmeymim and Tartus.

President Vladimir Putin issued instructions earlier to step up the protection of our bases in Hmeymim and Tartus," he said. "For instance, Kalashnikov corporation has come up with the technical solutions in the form of automated control instruments that will be installed there to build up defense of the facilities”.

The announcement comes after Monday’s incident involving the Russian reconnaissance aircraft Ilyushin-20, which was downed by a Syrian antiaircraft system.

According to the defense ministry, the Ilyushin-20 on the navigation control radars disappeared at the time when four Israeli F-16 jets were delivering strikes at Syrian facilities in Latakia Governorate

The ministry said later the aircraft had been downed by a Syrian antiaircraft system. Israeli pilots used the Russian plane as a shield and brought the fire from an S-200 antiaircraft missile complex on to it.