Putin points out shortcomings of Russian aviation in Syria
Russian aviation used during combat in Syria has a number of shortcomings when it comes to the technical condition of the airplanes and helicopters, said Russian President Vladimir Putin during a military meeting in Sochi as reported by RBK.
“The same can be said about the direct fire weapons,” Putin added. He drew attention to the fact that “this would have been impossible to detect at a test site.”
“Industrial enterprises are working routinely to eliminate the problems that have appeared. We were convinced of this when we visited the Kazan Aviation Plant and the 929th State Flight-Test Center of the Ministry of Defense,” the president said. He added that he was shown modern aircraft and helicopters with a lot of potential as well as unmanned aerial vehicles.
The armed conflict in Syria began in 2011. Russia has been active in the Syrian conflict on the side of President Assad's troops since 2015. As Putin stated, Russia agreed to enter the conflict to eradicate terrorism. In December 2017, he ordered the withdrawal of military troops from the Khmeimim base. However, there is still a Russian military presence in Syria.
In Syria, several fifth-generation Su-57 fighter jets were tested in the field. RBC news agency reported, citing sources in the Ministry of Defense, that two planes had been transferred to the conflict zone. According to Sergey Shoygu, the fighter aircraft tests in Syria lasted only two days, but in that time the military succeeded in carrying out practical launches of cruise missiles from the Su-57. A source in the Russian Ministry of Defense told RBC that deploying these aircraft in Syria was done in response to American stealth fighter flights.