Posted on 08/17/2015 2:25:46 AM PDT by Enlightened1
BRUSSELS. Aug 16 (Interfax) - Russia has shipped six Mikoyan MiG-31 fighter aircraft to Syria under a 2007 contract, a Turkish English-language news website, BGN News, reported on Sunday.
The website claims the aircraft have already landed in Damascus.
Under the contract, which was signed in 2007, Moscow is to deliver a total of eight MiG-31 fighter jets to Syria, BGN News says.
Russia has called for a broad international coalition, including Syria and Iraq, to be created to fight Islamic State, the website site said.
Rosoboronexport told Interfax-AVN that it can neither confirm, nor deny the report.
(Excerpt) Read more at interfax.com ...
Maybe they sent pilots, too...because Assad is understaffed at the moment.
That kind of aircraft is not needed in a civil war where the other side doesn’t have any at all. When Israel strikes they usually stay outside of Syrian air space and launch glide bombs. If they ventured beyond Syrian air space they wouldn’t last long. Also, Syria no longer has the logistics ability to keep complex aircraft flying for long. They should have converted the contract to gunships or helicopters.
The Migs are not for ISIS but for the F-16s
The only F-16s that will tangle with these Migs will have AWACS support and BVR missiles, so the Mig doesn’t really stand a chance unless it has the same level of support.
Who will fly them ?
Saudi FM certain contract on Russian Iskander missile supplies will be signed soon
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3323258/posts
Saudi Arabia, Russia sign nuclear power cooperation deal
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3302548/posts
Can still drop barrel bombs from a MiG.
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