[Appeselve]

Tamir Eshel | June 24, 2012 21:25 | Defense Update

Were the Turkish Phantoms ‘Teasing’ Syrian Air Defenses for NATO’s ELINT Collection?

Officially, Turkey said the planes were on a training mission but more likely they were on a reconnaissance mission,
peeking along the Syrian Mediterranean coastline, where Syria is known to maintain a strong anti-aircraft, coastal defense
and radar coverage. Based on the flight profile (if the Syrian description is correct) the Turks could have performed a
‘teasing’ game, in an attempt to stimulate the Syrian air defenses to activate their fire control radars, therefore give away
critical data that could be used to optimize electronic countermeasures if NATO decides to involve in the situation and
enforce a ‘no fly zone’ over Syria, similar to what the alliance did in Libya in 2011.

Apparently, the Syrians weren’t tempted, and challenged the intruder with anti-aircraft fire rather than surface-to-air missiles.
Under these circumstances, the downing of the Turkish jet could have been a miscalculated unlucky rather than lucky shot.



The Libyan and Syrian air defense systems are similar in terms of hardware – SA-5, 6, 3 and 2, linked through an advanced
command and control network and backed by a dense radar surveillance network. For the low level air defense, Syria uses
the SA-8, and more recently deployed the SA-22 Pantsir S1, an integrated, autonomous missile and air defense artillery unit.

The Syrian air defense is believed to be maintained at higher alert levels and better equipped with more modern equipment,
including the new Pantsir (recently demonstrated on official video firing on a nearby coastal range), likely to be deployed in
the western region.

NATO is also concerned about the Russian intentions to beef up its garrison maintaining and protecting a small facility
established recently at the port of Tartus, south of Latakia. Currently the base is manned my about 100 sailors and marines,
but the Russians were reportedly preparing two landing ships loaded with Marines at Sevastopol on high alert, to be sent to
protect the base if required.

Having a stronger Russian footprint in Syria could further complicate plans for NATO, if a decision to act is taken.