2015-09-11

Photos from SyAAF ABU DhHOUR AFB


On 9th Sep. 2015, Jaish Al-Fateh "جيش الفتح" led by Jabhat Al-Nusra "جبهة النصرة" overran Abu DhHour airbase and took control of the whole airfield. I'm not going to talk here about the operation in details as this was the fruit of more than two years of besieging the airbase with uncountable trials to penetrate the defensive lines to take over this base which a lot of towns around suffered from.
It's just important to mention the sand storm which rebels prefer to call "Gift from Heaven" which provided a cover from the SyAAF aircraft used to bombard the advanced rebels upon calls from the airbase itself.

The aircraft left in the airfield are just scraps and useless, most of them are the first generation of MiG-23MS which were delivered to SyAAF on 1974 just after the 73 war. The other MiG-21s are non airworthy anymore as the regime -and especially after downing two MiG-21bis sometime in 2012- worked to flee whatever operational out to Hama AFB.

I collected a lot of photos -with special thanks to all those allowed me to use their photos here in my blog- and watched hours of videos and came to prepare the below key-maps for the eastern and western sides of the airfield in order to understand the type/variant and location of each seen aircraft, I recommend to download them here with full resolution:
- KEY-MAP (EAST)
- KEY-MAP (WEST)



As can be seen, the aircraft inventory in this air force base is as below:

MiG-21 (5 in total):
- MF 1518
- MF 1942
- bis (unknown serial)
- UM 2369
- F-13 (unknown serial at the gate guard)

MiG-23 (17 in total)
- MS 1602
- MS 1605 (first SyAAF aircraft to be hit by ATGM at the beginning of the unrest)
- MS 1612
- MS 1619
- MS 1620
- MS (unknown serial 8 nos.)
- MF 2677
- UB 1750
- UB 1752
- UB 1795

Mi-8 (3 in total)
- T 1282
- T 2904 (knocked out when shelling the airfield by mortars)
- T (unknown serial, hit by ATGM on 8th Sep. 2014)

I will update this list in case more photos come to public: last updated 13th Sep. 2015

SyAAF 1282 (82) Mi-8, notice the rail fitted from inside the cabin back to the bottom of boom, this is for laying anti-tanks land mines

Knocked out SyAAF 2904 Mi-8 apparently by mortar hit when the rebels shelled the airfield

SyAAF MiG-21bis decommissioned inside a HAS (serial could be 2319)

SyAAF 1518 MiG-21MF

SyAAF 1942 MiG-21MF

SyAAF 2369 MiG-21UM inside one of the double HAS

There is large bone yard of MiG-23s at the western side of the airfield distributed on two groups

The western group of phased out MiG-23s is to the far west of the airfield include MS & UB Floggers

The second group is to the east of the first one and consists of MS Floggers only

The most recent aircraft phased out in this airfield is the on on the right of the photo which is the 1750 MiG-23UB

Inside a HAS the single MiG-23MF with serial 2677 decommissioned

R-60 and R-23/24 missiles are thrown beside this Flogger, they are not bombs finally and 'useless' for SyAAF in this civil war!

I tried a lot trying to read the serial of this MiG-23MS but did not come to an accurate conclusion, I just think it can read 1600

One of the most interesting photos here is for the 1620 MiG-23MS with its Sapphir PR-21 radar exposed

The 1750 MiG-23UB

Stunning bird's eye shot for the first group of phased out Floggers, the closest one is the 1620 MiG-23MS while the one next to it is the 1752 MiG-23UB

R-60 Air-to-Air missiles inside the HAS houses the 2677 MiG-23MF

R-23/24 Air-to-Air missiles also

9 comments:

  1. Well done as usual!

    What do you think about the destroyed Mi-8T, is it the same one that was hit by Kornet after landing on 8 September 2014?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQnx7iUagf4

    Also, it seems that the MiG-21UM is in the shelter next to the MiG-21bis:

    https://youtu.be/DEATyJSvFlA?t=20s

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!
      The Mi-8 destroyed previously on 8th Sep. 2014 by Kornet is not the one knocked out as seen in the footage of photos and videos of the airbase. The Mi-8 seen KO in the airbase is newly damaged, seems by mortars of JAN when they shelled the airfield during their besiege.

      Thanks for the second video, it's my first time to see, I will update the Key-Map as per your advice.

      Delete
    2. The destroyed Mi-8T had serial 2904:

      https://youtu.be/EqP0kIDoGMI?t=1m26s

      Also note tailboom of another destroyed Mi-8T (3:01 in the same video). Maybe that was the one destroyed by Kornet?

      Delete
    3. Exactly! This video was published just yesterday, it's one of the best videos for the airbase so far!

      Delete
  2. Those are some excellent new photos my friend. I love the bird's eye photo of the floggers. Notice the huge roundels on the MS. Great details..
    Best regards from Indonesia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks my dearest friend! I think I will place an order for a MiG-23MS model if you are free, stay tuned, there is a 'striking' post will come soon here ;-)

      Enjoy your trip!

      Delete
  3. Its interesting to see these aircrafts..among cave men

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJune 23, 2017

    Thanks for your kind information.
    So all the point which as you mention i am totally agreed.
    goldenslot

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    ReplyDelete
  5. كس اختك وهابي سلفي... جاي دورك عالباص الاخضر اخ الشرموطة

    ReplyDelete