Syrian Rebels Capture More Hi-Tech Booty Abandoned by Retreating Russians

The list of the most modern and essential Russian military equipment that has been abandoned in the face of the lightning advance of Syrian rebel forces is astonishing and grows every day. For the last few days, the world’s media has been plastered with photos of masked jihadists in front of captured helicopters, and anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons.

On Sunday both pro-Kyiv and pro-Moscow social media was awash with reports and images of captured Russian air defense equipment, all of which were said to be operational, after the rebels seized the Kuweires air base.

The plunder included Pantsir-S1 (NATO: SA-22 Greyhound) self-propelled anti-aircraft missile and gun system, the 9K35 Strela-10 (NATO: SA-13 Gopher) tracked surface-to-air missile system, several 23-4 Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and a handful of Strela-2 man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), as well as an unidentified modern radar or communication station.

A Pantsir-S1 captured by Syrian rebels on Dec. 1. Photo: “X”@ConflictTR

Yesterday it was reported that at the Al-Nayrab Air Base near Aleppo. Syrian rebels successfully captured several military aircraft, including eight L-39 Albatros light training/attack airplanes, as well as three MiG-23 swing-wing fighter aircraft. While the rebels are unlikely to make use of the captured aircraft is a slap in the face of both Russian commanders and forces loyal to President Assad who have controlled and exploited Syrian airspace for most of the war.

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Later in the day, opposition forces captured the base of the Syrian regime’s 25th Special Forces “Tiger” Division near Aleppo, a unit closely tied to the Assad regime. Here they seized what is perhaps the greatest prize taken to date: the Podlet-K1 (48Ya6-K1) advanced mobile low-altitude 3D surveillance radar system.

The surveillance radar is typically used in conjunction with surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems like the S-400 and S-300. It is claimed to be capable of detecting, tracking, and augmenting air defense weapons by providing acquisition information on as many as 200 targets at a range of 10-300 kilometers (6.25-190 miles) and altitudes up to 10 kilometers (33,000 feet, able to function effectively in low-altitude, high-altitude, extended-range, and mountainous operational modes.

The loss of the equipment is not only a tactical blow to the Syrian government and Russian forces but is potentially a highly exploitable piece of technology that Western analysts would love to inspect – if the reports that Ukrainian special forces from the main intelligence directorate (HUR) are operating alongside the rebels is true, they must be rubbing their hands in anticipatory glee.

The Russian milblogger “Voennyi Osvedomitel” lamented that the “Podlet is one of our [Russia’s] primary tools for detecting fast, low-flying targets like Storm Shadow missiles and Neptune cruise missiles, its possible transfer to Ukraine or Western countries for examination poses extremely serious consequences in the long term.”