Syrian Rebels Developing Rocket, Missile Capabilities To Combat Aircraft, Tanks, And Ground Targets

by Y. Feldner and L. Barkan


In the past year, a growing number of photos and videos have been uploaded to the Internet that show Syrian rebels using various types of rockets and missiles – some taken as loot from the regime, some delivered by sources outside Syria, and even some manufactured by the rebels themselves. These antiaircraft, antitank, and surface-to-surface weapons are in the hands of both the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which is considered relatively moderate, and the local and global Islamist forces, and are being used to combat aircraft, armored vehicles, and regime bases.

What follows is a review of how the use of this weaponry progressed, as conveyed in the photos and videos disseminated by the opposition fighters in Syria

Aerial Defense Capabilities – cGuns And Surface-To-Air Missiles

Analysis of the videos uploaded to the Internet indicates that until late 2012, the rebels' antiaircraft capabilities were meager and primitive. One of the earliest indications of antiaircraft activity appears in a June 2012 video that shows fighters from the Ja'far Al-Tayyar Brigade of the FSA preparing to operate a double barrel antiaircraft gun against regime helicopters in Deir Al-Zour:



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Y. Feldner and L. Barkan

Source: http://www.memri.org

Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.