Russia sending additional forces to Syria

Russia is building a formidable military presence in Syria, adding base facilities and deploying more warplanes, ships and missiles in support of government forces

Hmeimim: Main Russian airbase to become permanent facility, with extra infrastructure and aircraft capacity

AIRCRAFT

Su-25 “Frogfoot”

Su-25: Ground-attack aircraft,similar to U.S. A-10 “Warthog”, set toreturn to Syria. Su-25s flew 1,600 missions in six months before being withdrawn from Hmeimim in March

Su-24, Su-34: More strike fighters sent to Hmeimim in September

GROUND FORCES

Around 4,500 Russian personnelnow in Syria, mostly at Hmeimim –increase of 2,500 since Sep 2015

Government- control (Sep 19)

Tartus

LEBANON

Damascus

JORDAN

TURKEY

SYRIA

100km 60 miles

IRAQ

AIR DEFENCE MISSILES

S-300 battery – highly mobile launchers capable of engaging aircraft and missiles at ranges up to 250km – transported to Russia’s Tartus naval base.More advanced S-400 system already deployed at Hmeimim

S-300VM

NAVAL FORCES

Six warships from Russia’s BlackSea fleet stationed off Syrian coast,along with three to four support vessels

Russian flagship AdmiralKuznetsov (below), equipped with Su-33 and MiG-29KR fighter jets and Ka-52K attack helicopters,set to arrive by November

Sources: The Jamestown Foundation, IHS Conflict Monitor, wire agencies