IED-damaged Russian BTR-82

Yesterday IED struck to the Joint Russian-Turkish patrols in Idlib, Syria.  One Russian BTR-82 was damaged. Information about victims are missing.

Wheel of the BTR-82A cleanly destroyed.

5,000 Air Force strikes in the last 5 years

IAF releases data on the 'war between the wars' to prevent Iran's military entrenchment in Syria, transfer of weapons to terrorists.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) presented Thursday, 11 August, the data of the "battle between the wars," which is intended to weaken the enemies of the State of Israel and stop the transfer of weapons to terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, without dragging Israel into a new war.

According the sourses (1, 2, 3) reported that there has been a jump of hundreds of percent in the scope of the Israeli Air Force's covert operations against the build-up of enemy forces in Syria as well as the transfer of advanced weapons.

In the last five years, about 5,000 rounds of munitions of various kinds have been fired as part of the "battle between the wars campaign, in which the IDF has destroyed advanced and new weapons, as well as arms shipments that would be used operate Israel in the next war.

Most of the operations have taken place in the northern arena, primarily in Syria, where Iran has attempted in recent years to entrench itself militarily and to transfer weapons to its underlings in Hezbollah. The firepower used in the last five years is equal to the firepower which would be used in a period of between two weeks and one month in a real war.

So, the statistic include:

• Over the past 5 years (that is, since 2015), the Air Force has used about 5,000 of aviation munitions "at all theaters". Most of them in last three years (from 2017 to 2020), during this three year about 955 targets were attacked, on which 4,239 bombs and missiles were used, dozens of this munitions dropped by F-35I aircraft.

• Since 2017, Syria has fired 873 anti-aircraft missiles, from them about 844 in the last 3 years, i.e. since mid-2017, mainly missiles of the SA-17 (Buk-M2E) and SA-22 (Pantsir-S1) complexes; for comparison - in 2013 - only 2 missiles;

• Over the past two years, the Israeli Air Force has destroyed a third of Syria’s advanced air defense systems, according to IAF assessments.

• The number of surgeries has skyrocketed over the past year, despite the coronavirus epidemic;

• 70% of the pilots who participated in these operations are reservists.

US Forces Test SMART Shooter Optic in Syria

Coalition Forces zero Smart Shooter sighting devices during a familiarization range near At-Tanf Garrison, Syria, May 30, 2020. (DoD/Staff Sgt. William Howard)

The Department of Defense recently released some interesting photos of members of Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve familiarising themselves with the Smart Shooter system. The training session took place at a range near At-Tanf Garrison, Syria on the 30 May.

Smart Shooter claims that by combining “simple-to-install hardware with our own advanced image-processing software” they can cost effectively turn “basic small arms into 21st century smart weapons.” In this case, a least two M4A1 carbines appear to have been equipped with the fire control unit.

A Soldier uses a Smart Shooter sighting device to fire at a drone-carried target box flying more than 100 meters away during a familiarization range near At-Tanf Garrison, Syria, May 30, 2020. (DoD/Staff Sgt. William Howard)

TFB first reported on the Smart Shooter SMASH system in April 2018, since then the system has been evaluated by a number of US military branches and the Australian Defence Force. The US Airforces’s 9th Reconnaissance Wing tested the system Beale Air Force Base, California, back in August 2019.

Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (SOJTF-OIR), controls and coordinates the special operations units involved in Inherent Resolve’s operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The captions to the released images indicate that “Coalition and partner forces regularly train on various weapon systems in a joint effort to help set conditions for the enduring defeat of Daesh in Syria.” The Smart Shooter SMASH system being one of the more recent systems to be evaluated in the field. It remains unclear if the system has been used on operations.

Coalition Forces analyze a zero target during a Smart Shooter sighting device familiarization range near At-Tanf Garrison, Syria, May 30, 2020. (DoD/Staff Sgt. William Howard)

Once the user has designated a target the system can track and calculate the target’s movement and with the use of image processing and calculation algorithms it predicts the vector the target will travel. Some models can prevent the weapon from firing until the targets is within the the integrated reflex sight’s reticle – thus, in theory at least, improving hit probability.  The photographs show operators zeroing the system and then engaging an aerial target – a cardboard box suspended by a rope from a drone.

A Soldier controls a drone that’s carrying a box to be used as a target during a Smart Shooter sighting device familiarization range near At-Tanf Garrison, Syria, May 30, 2020. (DoD/Staff Sgt. William Howard)

We spoke with Lt. Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, a U.S. Special Operations Command spokesman, who gave us a little more background on SOCOM’s interest in the Smart Shooter system:

"We purchased smart shooter systems in March 2019 for Special Operations Forces to evaluate this capability in an operational environment. The results of the combat evaluation are pending. Our Army and Navy service components and one Theater Special Operations Command – Special Operations Command Central – have participated in the combat evaluation up to this point. We are evaluating the smart shooter system as a potential individual-level solution to enhancing Special Operations Forces capabilities for countering unmanned aerial systems."

A Soldier fires at a box carried by a drone during a Smart Shooter sighting device familiarization range near At-Tanf Garrison, Syria, May 30, 2020. (DoD/Staff Sgt. William Howard)

Drones are a very real threat to troops on the ground, even small quadcopter drones can be weaponized. There has been a proliferation of small drone use in the conflicts in the Middle East and systems like Smart Shooter might offer a cost effective solution which can be used for both aerial and ground targets.

A Soldier uses a Smart Shooter sighting device to fire at a box carried by a drone during a familiarization range near At-Tanf Garrison, Syria, May 30, 2020. (DoD/Staff Sgt. William Howard)

In the image below we can make out the wires linking to a control pad for the system on the carbine’s forend.

Soldiers use a Smart Shooter sighting device to fire at a target box carried by a drone during a familiarization range near At-Tanf Garrison, Syria, May 30, 2020. (DoD/Staff Sgt. William Howard)

A bullet-ridden box used as a target during a Smart Shooter sighting device familiarization range near At-Tanf Garrison, Syria, May 30, 2020. (DoD/Staff Sgt. William Howard)

US Forces Test SMART Shooter Optic in Syria

M60A3 vs 12,7mm rifle

Turkish tank M60A3, which was destroyed by a large-caliber rifle "Zagros" (12,7mm). After penetration, the bullet caused the tank round to explode, killed three members of the crew.

Syria, February 4, 2016.

Russian T-14 Armata tanks tested in Syria

The T-14 tank on the heavy tracked vehicle platform has been tested in Syria, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said on Sunday.

"Yes, that’s right. They [Armata tanks] were used in Syria," he said in an interview with the Deistvuyushchiye Litsa (Political Actors) with Nailya Asker-zade program on the Rossiya-1 television channel answering a corresponding question. "They were used in field conditions, in Syria, so, we took into account all the nuances."

Alexander Potapov, CEO of Uravagonzavod, the tank’s developer and manufacturer (incorporated into Rostec corporation), said in an interview with the Vedomosti daily on February 3 that first batches of Aramata tanks would be supplied to the Russian army in 2020 for field trials.

The Armata is a heavy tracked standardized platform serving as the basis to develop a main battle tank, an infantry fighting vehicle, an armored personnel carrier and some other armored vehicles. The T-14 tank based on the Armata platform was shown to the public for the first time at Red Square’s Victory Day parade on May 9, 2015. The new combat vehicle features fully digitized equipment, an unmanned turret and an isolated armored capsule for the crew.

Serial supplies of T-14 tanks

Serial supplies of Russia’s new T-14 tanks on the Armata platform to Russian troops will begin in 2021.

"It [the T-14 Armata tank] is expensive because it is still undergoing extra trials and modernization after the defense ministry requested additional technical solutions in order to begin serial supplies starting from the next year under the existing contract," said Denis Manturov.

Foreign buyers of Armata tanks

Russia plans to begin work with potential foreign buyers of Russian Armata tanks and has already received a number of advance orders.

"Next year, when serial supplies of these tanks to the defense ministry are launched and an exports certificate is obtained, we will begin to work with foreign clients," said Denis Manturov.

According to the minister, a number of countries have already demonstrated interest to these tanks. He noted that Russia already has advance orders. "Preliminarily, bearing in mind that we cannot provide all the documentation to our foreign clients, well, we do have preliminary orders," he said.

The OPCW IIT report - Syrian government forces were responsible for chemical attacks in Al-Lataminah

The OPCW IIT report is just out, as suspected it focuses on the March 24th, 25th, and 30th 2017 chlorine and Sarin attacks in Al-Lataminah. The report concludes Syrian government forces were responsible for all three attacks.

The Idlib Turkey Shoot: The Destruction and Capture of Vehicles and Equipment by Turkish and Rebel Forces

Turkish air and ground strikes which commenced late on the 27th of February 2020 on positions of the Syrian Arab Army (SyAA) and affiliated forces hit a large number of targets throughout Idlib and Aleppo, leading to the complete collapse of government forces along this part of the frontline and allowing rebel forces to continue their advance after recapturing the strategic town of Saraqib. Launched in retaliation after the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers in an airstrike, Turkey has now entered a new phase in its war in Syria, and at present the long-term implications can only be guessed at.

To purposely strike a Turkish military position only to get completely annihilated in retaliatory strikes raises the issue of whether the current organisation in charge of regime operations is capable of dealing with the situation it faces. The catastrophic outcome of the regime's (and Russia's) attempt at directly challenging Turkey's resolve must have not only amazed those following the offensive, but also the regime's military itself. Completely misjudging the impending danger and incapable of properly anticipating Turkey's retaliatory strikes, the Syrian military totally collapsed in the face of drones and artillery. Instead of engaging or at least deterring Turkish aircraft and drones from freely striking government forces on the ground, the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) and Syrian Arab Air Defence Force (SyAADF) have so far done nothing to stop the Turkish Air Force from penetrating into Syrian airspace. In fact, an active Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air missile system stationed at Kweres airbase was struck by a Turkish missile as a slow-flying Turkish drone was flying overhead, with its crew not only seemingly unaware of the drone, but also apparently unaware of the situation in Idlib.

What is certain is that for rebel forces Turkey's new phase could not have come at a better time. As the tide of the war is now in favour of the regime, rebel forces lost the offensive posture many groups managed to cling on to for much of the war. With rebel forces in Idlib everywhere on the defensive and losing, Idlib has largely been cut off from the largest supplier of weaponry and ammunition to factions opposing the Syrian government: The Syrian Arab Army. The latter's failure to redistribute, protect, or at least destroy major arms depots like Ayyash ensured a seemingly endless supply of vehicles, weaponry and ammunition to opposing forces in Syria. Nowadays mostly relying on small batches of munitions purchased on the black market or received from foreign powers, the only way for rebels in Idlib to stock up on heavier equipment like tanks is through smash and grab attacks on poorly defended but overstocked regime positions and now, a Turkish-backed offensive launched against the city of Saraqib.

A detailed list of the destroyed and captured vehicles, weaponry and ammunition and can be seen below.

This list only includes captured vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed by Turkey and captured by Idlibi rebel forces is undoubtedly higher than recorded here. Small arms and munitions are currently not included in this list, but will be added after the release of Calibre Obscura's list tomorrow.

This list will be updated as additional footage becomes available.

(Click on the numbers to get a picture of each individual captured or destroyed vehicle)

Tanks (29, of which destroyed: 16)

•  6 T-55A: (1, captured) (2, destroyed) (3, destroyed) (4, destroyed) (5, destroyed) (6, destroyed)
•  2 T-55M: (1, captured) (2, captured)
•  4 T-62 Obr. 1972: (1, captured) (2, damaged) (3, destroyed) (4, destroyed)
•  2 T-62M: (1, destroyed) (2, destroyed)
•  5 T-72M1: (1, captured) (2, captured) (3, captured) (4, captured) (5, captured)
•  1 T-72M1 'Shafrah': (1, captured)
•  1 T-72AV: (1, captured)
•  2 Unknown T-72: (1, destroyed) (2, destroyed)
•  6 Unknown T-55/62 (1, destroyed) (2, destroyed) (3, destroyed) (4, destroyed) (5, destroyed) (6, destroyed)

 

Infantry fighting vehicles (14, of which destroyed: 4)

• 14 BMP-1: (1, captured) (2, captured) (3, captured) (4, captured) (5, captured) (6, captured) (7, captured) (8, captured) (9, captured) (10, captured) (11, destroyed) (12, destroyed) (13, destroyed) (14, destroyed)

 

Self-propelled artillery (17, of which destroyed: 17)

•  11 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika (1, destroyed) (2, destroyed) (3, destroyed) (4, destroyed) (5, destroyed) (6, destroyed) (7, destroyed) (8, destroyed) (9, destroyed) (10, destroyed) (11, destroyed)
•  6 152mm 2S3 Akatsiya: (1, destroyed) (2, destroyed) (3, destroyed) (4, destroyed) (5, destroyed) (6, destroyed)

 

Multiple rocket launchers (9, of which destroyed: 9)

•  8 122mm BM-21: (1, destroyed) (2, destroyed) (3, destroyed) (4, destroyed) (5, destroyed) (6, destroyed) (7, destroyed) (8, destroyed)
•  1 122mm MRL on Toyota: (1, destroyed)

Mortars (1, of which destroyed: 1)

•  1 240mm M240: (1, destroyed)

 

(Self-propelled) anti-aircraft guns (3, of which destroyed: 1)

•  2 23mm ZSU-23: (1, damaged) (2, destroyed)
•  1 23mm ZU-23: (1, captured)

 

Surface-to-air missile systems (1, of which destroyed: 1)

•  1 Pantsir-S1: (1)
•  1 Buk-M2 (1, reported to have been destroyed at Kweres or Abu ad-Duhor)

 

Helicopters (5, of which destroyed: 5)

•  5 Helicopters of unknown type: (1, 2, 3, reported to have been destroyed at Kweres and Abu ad-Duhor, 4 and 5 shot down by MANPADS on the 11th and 14th of Feburary respectively)

Trucks and engineering equipment (14, of which destroyed: 7)

•  1 GAZ-66: (1, destroyed)
•  3 GAZ-3308: (1, captured) (2, captured) (3, captured)
•  1 Ammunition truck: (1, destroyed)
•  3 Truck carrying equipment: (1, destroyed) (2, destroyed) (3, destroyed) 
•  2 Excevators: (1 and 2, captured)
•  2 Motor bikes: (1 and 2, captured)
•  2 Unknown truck: (1, destroyed) (2, destroyed)

Anti-tank guided missiles (23, 5 launchers and optics)

•  3 9M111 Fagot: (1, 2, and 3)
•  9 9M113 Konkurs: (1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 6) (7, 8 and 9)  
•  1 9P135 launcher for the 9M113 Konkurs ATGM: (1)
•  1 1PN79-2 Thermal optic for the Konkurs-M ATGM launcher: (1)
•  10 9M131 Metis: (1, 2, 3 and 4) (5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10)  
•  2 9P151 launcher for the 9M131 Metis ATGM: (1) (2)
•  1 1PN86-VI Thermal optic for Metis-M ATGM launcher: (1)
•  1 9M14 Malyutka: (1)

Source - The Idlib Turkey Shoot: The Destruction and Capture of Vehicles and Equipment by Turkish and Rebel Forces

Turkish troops in Syria

Excellent quality pictures of Turkish Army (Via Ammar Alzeer)

IDF: 54 targets struck in Syria, 900 in Gaza over past year

ისრაელის თავდაცვითი ძალების განცხადების თანახმად, გასული წლის განმავლობაში ისრაელის ავიაციამ 54 სამიზნე გაანადგურა სირიაში და 900 გაზას სექტორში. უპილოტოებმა მთლიანობაში 40 000 საათი იფრინეს მტრის სამიზნეების საიდენტიფიკაციოდ. ამგვარად ისრაელი ცდილობს აღკვეცო ირანის მცდელობა მოიპოვოს გავლენა და გასასვლელი ხმელთაშუაზღვის რეგიონში.

ბოლო წლების დეტალური სტატისტიკა იხილეთ ინგლისურ ტექსტში:

Israel has struck 54 targets in Syria and 900 in the Gaza Strip over the last year, which has also seen a decrease in attacks in the West Bank, data released by the IDF has shown.

Thursday marked the first time that Israel’s military publicly stated the exact number of targets struck by the Israel Air Force in Syria.

Israel has been carrying out a “war-between-wars” campaign aimed at preventing Iran from reaching its goal of establishing a 1,200 km. length land bridge from Tehran to the Mediterranean, entrenching itself on Israel’s northern borders. Hundreds of targets are estimated to have been struck by Israel over the years.

During the first few years of Israel’s campaign against Iran, the state denied having struck targets in war-torn Syria, preferring instead plausible deniability in an attempt to prevent any retaliatory attacks by Iran or their proxies like Hezbollah.

On September 1, on the first day back to school in Israel, Hezbollah fired a Kornet anti-tank missile toward an IDF vehicle in northern Israel, driving between the communities of Yir’on and Avivim.

While there were no Israeli casualties or injuries, the incident marked the first time since the Second Lebanon War in 2006 that saw direct confrontation between the IDF and Hezbollah, which could have spiraled into war.

In addition to the targets destroyed in Syria, the IDF noted six cross-border attack tunnels dug by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. The military also noted that 38 kilometers of the barrier between Syria and Israel has been built along the northern border.

The past year saw the most serious peak of violence between Israel and terror groups in the strip since the end of Operation Protective Edge in 2014, with 1,295 rockets fired in 2019 – the majority (93%) having been fired during the 12 violent rounds of confrontation between Israel and terrorist groups in the Strip.

According to the military, 729 of them were fired toward open territory while another 478 were fired toward residential areas, with 85% of them intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system.

While almost every year since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 the number of rockets fired toward Israel was in triple digits, 2018 has seen the most serious peak of violence between Israel and terror groups in the strip like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), since the end of Operation Protective Edge in 2014.

In comparison, a total of just over 1,000 projectiles were fired toward Israel in 2018, and 35 projectiles were fired toward Israel in 2017, 15 the previous year and 21 in 2015, for a total of 71 rockets launched from the coastal enclave by terror groups.

In response to the rocket fire from Gaza, the Israel Air Force carried out over 1,800 sorties and struck 900 targets in the Strip over the past year, the large majority of them belonging to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. In comparison, 865 targets were struck in 2018.

Unmanned aerial vehicles spent over 40,000 operational hours during missions over the past year.

According to the IDF, only 22 out of a total of 47.5 kilometers of the underground barrier with the Gaza Strip has been completed. It was expected to be completed by the end of 2019.

In the West Bank, there has been a notable decrease in attacks by Palestinians against Israeli troops and civilians, with a total of 51 terror attacks in the past year compared to 76 in 2018, 75 in 2017 and 141 in 2016.

According to the data, there were 19 shooting attacks in 2019 compared to 33 during the previous year, 34 in 2017 and 54 in 2016. There has also been a decrease in stabbing attacks with 12 in 2019 compared to 17 in 2018, five in 2017 and 22 in 2016. The military noted that there was also a decrease in stone and IED throwing toward Israeli cars over the past year, with 1,469 instances of stone throwing in 2019, compared to 1,881 in 2018, 2,549 in 2017 and 2,225 in 2016. Meanwhile, there were 290 IEDs thrown at cars in 2019 compared to 990 the previous year.

The military also noted that 603 guns and 521 knives were confiscated from Palestinians in the West Bank, compared to 406 guns and 273 knives confiscated the previous year. The IDF also confiscated NIS 972,560 in terror funds compared to NIS 2,156,089 in 2018.