Some have asked about the Russian Land Forces in Syria.
Here is the first working material:
VS Syria – Land Forces.
The overall size of the Russian force´s land component in Syrias is rising to 10000 men. There are signs that Russian artillery assets are already involved in providing fire support for the Syrian army 4th Assault Corps operations near Aleppo and there are some reports of the Russian artillery fire near Homs and Hama.
Daily landing of Ropucha and Alligator landing ships in Tartus from Novocherkassk in Russia with military soldiers and vehicles. Not only ammunition.
Headquarters – Latakia.
Signal unit – Latakia.
Special forces for protection of the headquarters units with higher command officers.
The land forces committed to Russia´s Syrian operation include:
A battalion tactical group of the 810th Marines Brigade (Sevastapol) which consists of the 542nd Marines Assault Battalion and the brigade´s command and control elements. Defence of Latakia?
Approx 580 men.
162nd Separate Reconnaissance Battalion of the 7th Guards Assault Division (Novorossiysk).
Approx 320 men.
Reconnaissance Battalion of the 74th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (Yurga, Siberia).
Approx 440 men.
A Battalion Tactical Group of the 27th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (Moscow) consisting of two motor rifle companies reinforced by one tank company.
Approx 320 men.
Elements from the 28th Motor Rifle Brigade (Yekaterinburg) fighting in Hama area (November 2015).
Elements from the 32nd Motor Rifle Brigade (Novosibirisk) fighting in Hama area (November 2015).
Elements from the 34th Motor Rifle Brigade (mountain) (Cherkessia) landed in Tartus (November 2015).
Elements from the 74th Motor Rifle Brigade (Yurga) fighting in Hama area (November 2015).
One Spetsnaz Battalion probably of the 3rd Spetsnaz Brigade (Tolyatti, Saratov) protecting Latakia (or Hama); It is possible that this battalion originates from the 22nd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade (Rostov-on-Don).
230 men.
One Spestnaz Battalion of the 16 Spetsnaz Brigade (370 ooSpN) (Tambov) fighting in Aleppe 23rd October 2015.
230 men.
One Spetsnaz Battalion of the 24th Spetsnaz Brigade (Novosibirisk) fighting in Hama (or Latakia) October 2015.
230 men.
A sniper team of the Senezh Brigade, SOF Command (Solnechnogorsk, Moscow).
U/I men.
Six 2A65 Msta-B towed from the howitzer battery of the 8th Artillery Regiment (Simferopol, Crimea).
70 men.
Eighteen 2A65 Msta-B howitzers from the howitzer battalion of the 120th Artillery Brigade (Kemerovo, Siberia).
270 men.
Four 9A52 Smerch vehicles forming two MLRS batteries which might originate from the 439th Guards Rocket Artillery Brigade (Zmanesk, Astrakhan).
50-60 men.
Six TOS-1A Solntsepek heavy flamethrower vehicles from one heavy flamethrower company of the 20th NRBC regiment (Nizhny Novgorod)
Thirty men.
An electronic warfare jamming(EW) company with six R-330B UHF jamming stations, three R-378B HF jamming stations and six 1L29 SPR-2 Rtut-B radio-proximity-fuse jamming/Initiation stations, most probably from the 64th Motor Rifle Brigade (Khabarovsk).
60 men.
A long-range jamming (EW) company most likely of the 17th EW Brigade (Nizhneudinsk, Irkutsk) with one set (two vehicles) of 1RL257 Krashukha-4 aviation fire-control radar jamming stations.
Approx 20 men.
Elements of S-400 air defence missile battalion protecting Latakia air base building up 24 November 2015.
Notes to the last:
Novocherkassk is of course Novorossiysk.
The electronic warfare company must be a strenghtened battalion.
The Orlan-10 is used for jamming network of GSM mobile use.
The electronic warfare involve aviation radio monitoring and listening of radio relay links. Listening of NATO and Turkey AWACS?
Elements of the 336 Marine Brigade (Baltiysk) defending the As-Suwayda air base, south of Damascus.
According information is the Russian air force using three air bases in Syria. It must be:
Latakia
Tiras Mi-24P
As-Suwayda also Mi-24P? Russia fixed wing?
The Russian army use BTR-142A. Many of them reported in Syria. According my information is it a APC used by reconnaissance units (raz).
Information changing whole time.
The Russian Navy have bought several civil foreign ships for transport of soldiers and material with the "Syrian Express".
If the Mi-28 and Ka-52 "sighting" over Syria is from the video at around 1:01 minutes, I think this is an error!
This video part of the helicopters landing look very very much like archive video. This part seems not to be taken in Syria, look at all the trees at this airbase and the Il-18/22 and Tu-134 in the background... a typical Russian environment...
According to the latest information from the Russian sources (with reference to the Syrian media) preparations for deployment of the second military base has been started on Shayrat airfield located 35 km from Homs. It will host aviation, supply and covering units.
Based on this, the number of aircrafts in the aviation group in Syria can rise up to 100 warplanes. The sources in the Russian power-wielding authorities say that utilization of Shayrat airbase is required for building the operation in the South and East of Syria. The Russian air forces use Shayrat as a staging airfield for now. The Israeli sources confirm the activities of the Russian military transport aviation (An-124 aircrafts) at Shayrat airbase.
A map of the area near Shayrat airbase was demonstrated in a video presentation by Russia’s MD on November 17, 2015. This map showed the positions of the Russian forces’ 5th howitzer battery of the 120th guards artillery brigade deployed in that region on November 6. Also it can be seen on the map that as of 14:00, 6 November, there were 4 assault Mi-24 and 1 transport Mi-8 helicopters at Shayrat airfield.
One or two Il-20M signals intelligence/jamming aircraft (tail numbers are not yet identified) of the 257th Mixed Air Regiment (Khabarovsk); there are some unconfirmed reports that one Il-20M aircraft has been operating from the Al-Takaddum air base near Baghdad in Iraq which might be one of the two aircraft deployed by the Russian Air-Space Forces to Syria
Heard several sources mentioning two more Russian air bases opening soon/recently: Al-Sha’ayrat near Homs and “T4”, in Tiyas, near Palmyra. according to the article below, T4 will be used by Iranian jets as well as Russian.
My sources are very many. I have got the air bases after studying the use of the ground forces.
The ground forces use in many cases large Syrian army bases, army artillery bases and large air bases.
The following air bases:
1. Al-Assad air base (Latakia).
2. Al-Shaayrat air base, just now used by 4 Mi-24 and Mi-8. Future use of combat fixed wing? (The same helicopters as use Tiyas?). Rumours of two squadrons at Tiyas from Iran.
3. Khalkhalah air base, protected with elements of the 336 Marine Brigade, Baltiysk. I suppose Russia/Syria have retaken the GRU Center-S sigint base nearby. (have to be confirmed). Air base could be used of Russian Mi-24P and other helicopters.
4. Istamo. There is also 4 to 5 Mi-8AMTSh and 4 Ka-27/28 based in new paved helibase in mountains between Latakia and Al-Assad air base. Transfer from Al-Assad air base? The S-400 moved from Al-Assad air base to this base. Also a large fuel storage base.
5. Al-Assad air base used by Il-20 and Il-22. But they also use other bases as staging bases as they do in Russia. The Il-20 with blue propellers could be on of the Kubinka ones.
6. Hama used by Il-76 cargo landing. Land material and ground forces.
The russian army is also based at large storage bases, there they protect the roads and infra-structure. Also transport the air- and sea landed ammuniation, bombs etc.
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