The conflict in Syria still rages on, and now it looks like the ground-to-air war is picking up steam. These two videos show a Syrian Air Force helicopter being hit by what is likely to be a surface-to-air missile, before descending under control and crashing somewhere in Aleppo.
C.J. Chivers, writing for the New York Times, offers good analysis into what likely occurred. According to Chivers, the Mi-8 helicopter was likely shot down by a missile:The aircraft appears to be well beyond the range of a rocket-propelled grenade, and the plume of burning propellant is much thicker than the trail left by such weapons. The natural suspect would be an SA-7 MANPADS, but any analysis suggesting that is fairly crude, as that weapon’s place at the top of the likely list is due only to the fact that the SA-7, with gripstock, has been the complete system most commonly seen thus far in the conflict.RPGs have been common in conflicts for decades, and the proliferation of MANPADS (man-portable air defense systems) has received more scrutiny in recent years. Aleppo has been wracked by bombing for much of the conflict by the Syrian Air Force, while the rebels have struggled to mount a defense.That changed last month, when Syrian rebel forces reportedly got their hands on surface-to-air missiles, a report that seem corroborated by these new videos. (Again, the caveat is that until video surfaces of the above projectiles being launched, it will be hard to confirm exactly what they are.) It’s a huge gain in capability for the rebel forces. But for those interested in peace, just remember that the last truce collapsed after two days. So while the incredible portable firepower of SAMs will likely boost the rebel’s capacity to fight, especially in the tight confines of Aleppo, they also suggest that the war will stay hot for awhile yet.Follow Derek Mead on Twitter: @derektmead.