Syrian rebels seize Aleppo, capturing tanks and aircraft
Syrian fighters from the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) faction have taken Aleppo, where Bashar al-Assad's regime forces abandoned a large amount of military equipment, ranging from tanks to aircraft. Here's what the jihadists from HTS have captured.
Jihadists from HTS have taken Aleppo along with its surroundings and the region near the city of Hama. Syrian armed forces, caught by surprise at the beginning of the offensive, panicked and abandoned their positions, leaving behind a significant amount of equipment. In this way, HTS acquired armoured vehicles and aircraft and anti-aircraft systems.
Below, you can see examples of armoured equipment, including infantry fighting vehicles BMP-1/2 and tanks T-54/55, T-62, or T-72. Two T-90A tanks will join the one or two already used by HTS. There was even a loaded BM-27 Uragan multiple rocket launcher with a range of over 30 kilometres (19 miles).
Tanks and rocket artillery — A painful loss for Syria
T-90A tanks are a deep modernization of T-72B tanks. They primarily differ by a fire control system with thermal imaging and modern night vision, which allows operation at night and in adverse weather conditions.
Furthermore, it was a tank factory equipped with Kontakt-5 reactive armour, which is uncommon for Syrian machines. In principle, only the newer T-72B and B3 (slightly over 300 units) delivered from Russia after 2015 have it. Bashar al-Assad's regime has at most a few dozen T-90A tanks.
Aviation and anti-aircraft systems — Huge limitation for Bashar al-Assad's regime's aviation capabilities
Jihadists from HTS also surprisingly captured a significant amount of Syrian air defence, as they seized an entire S-125 Neva system battery, a self-propelled Pantsir-S1 system, and Buk-M2. Additionally, the rebels captured Mi-8/17 helicopters, and L-39 aircraft and MiG-23 stationed at an airport near Aleppo. However, these might not be operable as kamikaze drones previously shelled the airport.
Acquired aircraft without logistical support and trained pilots are of little value, but taking them away from Bashar al-Assad's regime will reduce the intensity of bombings. Unfortunately, it is unclear in what condition Syria's military aviation is after years of civil war, but surely, only a small part of what was possessed before the civil war is still operational. In such conditions, even the loss of single units is significant.
Captured anti-aircraft systems would be more useful for the rebels, which, if they learn to use them, could pose a threat to Syrian and Russian aviation. This particularly applies to the Pantsir-S1 and Buk-M2, which, depending on the missiles possessed, can target up to 20 kilometres (12 miles) and up to 40-70 kilometres (25-43 miles), respectively.
In contrast, the stationary S-125 Neva system is likely to be used as a source of improvised ballistic missiles, as was the case some time ago in Libya. The range and accuracy of such a weapon will be minimal, but a 50-kilogram (110-pound) fragmentation warhead, possibly with a larger supply of TNT, could cause significant damage.
