Two days back, a VIDEO was published showing the wreckage of a SyAAF helicopter said to be shot down on 14th July 2016 near Al-Baytariyeh town which is located in the eastern rural of Damascus.
I cannot tell this is a newly shot down helicopter at the above mentioned date because first of all it is a Mi-25 helicopter, so it might be that one shot down on 1st July 2016 and just recently some public discovered the crash site.
Secondly, no footage was published for the interception nor for fighters inspecting the wreckage taking into account that a MANPAD hit will result in bringing down an aircraft no further than 5km from the launch site, so finding and covering the crash site is a piece of cake after all.
Last, I didn't find any pro-regime page/individual talking or mentioning a "martyr" pilot/crew within the last few days but only that pilot of the MiG-21 crashed few days back in Deir EzZour.
Update: Thanks for heads up from Gerard & Milos (ACIG). The rotar blades belong for sure for a Mi-8/17.
Then, I'm not sure of the possibility of mounting such blades to Mi-25 under any circumstances, but providing the boom belongs with no doubts to a Mi-25 this puts us in front of a possibility that the crashed helicopter is truly a Mi-8/17 was transferring components of Mi-25 -boom among them- from an airbase to another.
Talking about a Hind needs maintenance and replacement of specific parts, this reminds me of the incident of intercepting a SyAAF helicopter by JAI SA-8 (Osa) over Eastern Ghouta on 27th June 2016 which forced the hit Mi-25 -as confirmed by my source- to perform an emergency landing at an airport -should be Damascus IAP.
Both Al Masdar News and Southfront.org, crearly pro-Assad, have reported about this downing.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty much certain that this is the crash site of a Mi-8/17. Look at the main rotor blade. First of the actual blade starts out further from the central mast than is the case with the Mi-25 blades. Secondly look at the shape of the blade where it starts. It makes a 90 degree angle. The Mi-25 main rotor blade does not have that design.
ReplyDeleteI made my decision it's a Mi-25 upon detailed inspection on what left from the boom.
DeleteBlades, are another mystery here, but again the boom is in no way a Mi-8/17's.