Global InformationSyrian Air Defense Force information
| Syrian Arab Air Defence Force | |
|---|---|
| Arabic: قوات الدفاع الجوي العربي السوري | |
 Emblem of the SyADF | |
| Founded | 1969[a] |
| Country |  Syria |
| Type | Air defense |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size | 21,000 (active)[1] 15,000 (reserve)[2] |
| Part of |  Syrian Armed Forces |
| Headquarters | Damascus, Syria |
| Motto(s) | Homeland, Honour, Sincerity! (Military) Unity, Freedom, Socialism! (National) |
| Colours | Blue, Green |
| Anniversaries | 16 October |
| Engagements |
|
| Website | www |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Marshal Bashar al-Assad |
| Minister of Defence | Lieutenant General Ali Mahmoud Abbas |
| Chief of Air Defence Staff | Major General Ali Tawfiq Samra |
| Insignia | |
| Insignia | Military ranks of Syria |
| Flag of the Syrian Air Defence Force |  |
The Syrian Air Defence Force (SyADF or SADF), officially the Syrian Arab Air Defence Force (SyAADF or SAADF; Arabic: قوات الدفاع الجوي العربي السوري) is an independent command within the Syrian Armed Forces. It is responsible for protecting the Syrian airspace against any hostile air attacks. [3][4] The SyADF is one of the most powerful and combat-tested Air Defence forces in the region.[3]
It has been merged into and then separated from both the Syrian Arab Army and the Syrian Arab Air Force. The Syrian Air Defence Force controls four Air Defence corps, eleven Air Defence divisions and thirty-six Air Defence brigades, each with six surface-to-air missile battalions.[5] Since 2017, it has been linked to a joint Russian-Syrian command.[3]
It is equipped with 650 static S-75 Dvina, S-125 Neva/Pechora and S-200 launchers, 300 mobile 2K12 Kub, Pantsir S-1 and Buk launchers and over 4,000 anti-aircraft guns ranging from 23mm to 100mm in calibre (e.g. ZSU-23-4 Shilka).[6] There are also two independent 9K33 Osa SAM regiments, each with four batteries of 48 mobile SAMs. An unknown number of S-300 system were delivered to Syria in 2018.[7]
A large number of Iranian Air Defence systems were delivered to the country in 2021: Mersad, Khordad-3, Bavar-373 and Khordad-15 systems.[8][9]
The Syrian early warning system comprises Long Track; P-12 Spoon Rest; P-14 Tall King; H-15 Flat Face; P-18 Spoon Rest; P-19; P-30 Big Mesh; P-35 Bar Lock; P-80 Back Net; YLC-6 Radar; JY-27; JYL-1; PRV-13; PRV-16 Thin Skin; Alborz[10] mobile and static radar sites throughout Syria.[11][12]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ IISS 2023, p. 354.
- ^ The Military Balance 2021 page 366
- ^ a b c Jean-Baptiste Naudet (19 September 2018). "Syrie : les Russes ont-ils abattu leur propre avion ?" (in French). nouvelobs.com. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
- ^ Daaboul, Azzam (May 7, 2020). "How does Israel keep getting past Syria's air defenses?".
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
orgwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Efrat, Moshe (1983). "The Economics of Soviet Arms Transfers to the Third World. A Case Study: Egypt". Soviet Studies. 35 (4): 437–456. doi:10.1080/09668138308411496. ISSN 0038-5859. JSTOR 151253.
- ^ "The Latest: Russia says Syria now has S-300 anti-air system". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2018-09-30. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
- ^ Ahmad Salloum (27 September 2020). "Exclusive: Iran Begins Developing Air Defense Systems in Syria". iranwire.com. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ Farzin Nadimi (24 July 2020). "Iran-Syria Air Defense Pact Could Disrupt Allied Operations". Washington institute for Near East policy. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ "Iran Unveils New Air Defense Systems - Politics news - Tasnim News Agency". Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
- ^ "Syrian early warning radar sites". military.dds.net. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ Dylan Malyasov (19 February 2019). "Source: Israeli F-35 destroyed Chinese-made radar during airstrikes in Syria". defence-blog.com. Retrieved 15 May 2022.