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

First Photos from Abu DhHour AFB

Today, 9th Sep. 2015, a bunch of great photos came to public from Abu DhHour air force base after units from Jabhat Al-Nusra succeeded to penetrate the defenders and hold the gate and the western side of the airfield. We will expect more in the coming hours.
Above is units pose in front of phased out SyAAF MiG-23s (MS and UB).

Tail fin of a SyAAF MiG-23UB carries the serial 1754.

Could be the same UB here.

Bone yard of SyAAF MiG-23MS/MF/UB near the north eastern HAS's.

SyAAF MiG-23MF -sadly the serial is incomplete- decommissioned inside a HAS.

Remnants of R-23/24 air-to-air missiles.

Hope someone there is -as interested in serials as me- would make a photo tour recording all serials of those Syrian Floggers. 

What I'm still looking for is some photos for the MiG-21's at the furthest south eastern HAS's in the airfield in addition to clearer photo for the damaged 2904 Mi-17 there.

SyAAF MiG-23MLD Hit by TOW ATGM in Neyrab Airbase

For the third time, Haraket Hazm 'Hazm Movement' succeed to surprise the 'calm' Neyrab Airbase (Aleppo IAP) in these snowing days and hit one of its ex-Belorussian MiG-23MLDs as can be seen in the footage in the video below.

Previously, Hazm Mov. succeed to damage two L-39ZA on 21st Oct. 2014: one of them received direct hit, while the other is damaged due to the shrapnel of the explosion. After that and on 7th Nov. 2014, Hazm hit a MiG-23MLD which beside another MiG-23UB is stationed and damaged due to the shrapnel as well.

The MiG-23MLD our case this post is the one serialed '07' as can be seen intact in this photo below prior to its damage.

On board SyAAF MiG-23 - Another Video

Another video came to public been recorded in the cockpit of a SyAAF MiG-23MF from taxiing, taking off -from Hama AFB as can be clearly seen on 0:44- till landing, including attacking ground targets with unguided rockets.

Another MiG-23 appeared on 0:33, this time it is the UB trainer variant -has nothing at all with the scenes on board- which was carrying not a single external armament and not fitted with chaff/flares dispensers over the rear fuselage.

It's notable that Hama AFB is currently the home base for both MF & UB variants after evacuating what remained operational from Abu DhHour AFB.

...Enjoy ;)

SyAAF MiG-23MS in Abu DhHour AFB

It is the first anniversary of the overrun of Abu DhHour AFB in Idleb governorate when rebels succeed on 30th April 2013 to pass into the Western side of the airfield for few days before the regime forces could push them back out.
 

There was a MiG-23MS scrapped at the back of a double HAS in the south-western corner of the airbase, which was marked the first jet targeted by rebels by an ATGM at the beginning of the Syrian unrest.
 

The already-phased-out MS was seriously damaged by that hit, which has been totally knocked out after few days of the invasion of this AFB.
 

 
As seen in a footage of the video this still above was extracted from, this MiG-23MS with its famous locally Green painted radome, carries the insignia of 'The Factory' which means it was indigenously overhauled in Neyrab facility.

The last shot of this MiG-23MS which carries the serial 1605.
 

In addition to the phased-out MiG-23MS, Abu DhHour AFB until 2011 was the home base of MiG-23UB, MF in addition to squadrons of MiG-21MF and bis. The photo above shows the bone-yard of seven MiG-23MS/UB.

SyAAF Neyrab Airbase on GE

After almost a year...GE revealed this aerial imagery (dated June 2009) of Neyrab airbase (Aleppo IAP) after being shown for couple of months before it suddenly disappeared. It's where I could photograph all these MLD Floggers.

After referring to my photo archive I indicate here the location of 21 MLD's and 9 UB's (training variant).

Among these beasts there is a lonely petite Fishbed.

Thanks to GE for resubmitting this map today.

SyAAF MiG-23MLD's in Neyrab (2010)

Upon landing in Neyrab airbase (Aleppo IAP)...I could count only 18 MiG-23MLD/UB left on tarmac, that means 15 were overhauled and delivered to their new front-line air bases.

Photos by Luftwaffe A.S (2010)

SyAAF MiG-23MLD !!

Exclusive photos I shot myself for the 33 ex-Belorussian MiG-23's stationed at Neyrab airbase at the tarmac infront of 'the factory' the main maintenance and overhaul facility for SyAAF.

Not all these MiG-23s are MLD, few are UB trainer variant AKA (DUAL) in SyAAF.

These MLD's should be fitted with longer range radar than the ML, enhanced avionics and BVR air-to-air missils reported to be maintained and overhauled to join in the front-line air bases.

On the date of my photos I could count 30~31 units in that air base, seems the remaining truly saw their way inside the overhaul facility.

Note how the Red star at fin is over painted randomly in green.

All Photos by Luftwaffe A.S (2008)