Combat aircraft

UN World Food Programme. The Syrian

Army garrison was kept  ghting by a

shuttle, via the government-held air eld

at Qamishli Airport, in the far north-east

of Syria. Syrian and Russian Il-76s  rst

 ew supplies and reinforcements up to

Qamishli Airport, before being cross-

loaded onto Mi-8/17s for the  ight south

into Deir ez-Zor.

To break the siege, Syrian and Russian

commanders devised a daring plan

that kicked o with a helicopter-borne

landing by Syrian troops behind IS lines

to the north of Deir ez-Zor in mid-August.

Two Russian Ka-52 attack helicopters

led the night-time raid, escorting three

troop-carrying Syrian Mi-8/17s to the

landing zone.

Further south, a Syrian column pushing

eastward along the main road to Deir

ez-Zor was provided with heavy air

support to blast through the IS defenses.

Four Russian Su-25 ground attack jets

were forward-deployed to T-4 air base

in central Syria to bring them closer to

the action, alongside Russian Ka-52 and

Mi-28 attack helicopters. The Syrian Arab

Air Force’s ‘elite’ L-39 Albatros battle eld

support squadron, which set up a new

base at Palmyra Airport, joined them.

Through August and into September,

the Russian and Syrian jets and attack

Top: RAF

Typhoon

FGR4s continue

to operate

alongside

Tornado GR4s

in the o ensive

strike role.

Crown Copyright

Above: There

has been

speculation that

reduced target

sets might

see the RAF

commitment

under Operation

‘Shader’ being

scaled back.

Crown Copyright

FIGHTING ISLAMIC STATE | COMBAT REPORT

73

January 2018 http://www.combataircraft.net

70-75 Shader C.indd 73 23/11/2017 11:49