Russia deploys Su-30SM and Su-27SM3 to Syria
Russia is continuing to up the ante in Syria following the downing of one of its Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer bombers by Turkey.
Moscow is considering deploying about a dozen more Sukhoi Su-30SM Flanker air superiority fighters to its base in Latakia to provide fighter escort for its strike aircraft, according to the Russian newspaper Kommersant. That’s in addition to the powerful S-400 air and missile defense system and the missile cruiser Moskva that Russia deployed to the region last week. The Russians have also imposed a number of economic sanctions against Turkey as a result of the incident.
The new deployment is not unexpected since the Russians have stated that fighter aircraft will escort all future strike missions in Syria. “All the activities of the attack aviation will be carried out only under cover of fighter aircraft,” said Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy, a senior member of Russia’s general staff, on Nov. 25. Russia does not have enough jets in the theatre to make good on that statement—thus it was a foregone conclusion that it would have to deploy additional fighters.
