Fighter-bombers and Anka UAVs Downed as Turkey and Syria Exchange Blows

An escalation in fighting between Turkish and Assadist forces has resulted in a number of air vehicles—both manned and unmanned—being shot down.

The Anka-S is involved in its first major combat action with the TSK, and at least two have been destroyed while engaging the Syrian army. (Photo: Turkish Aerospace)

By Vladimir Karnozov

March 2, 2020

The second half of February saw an escalation of hostilities in Idlib in northwest Syria. It followed a mass deployment of Turkish armed forces (TSK) to the rebel-held part of the province and led to airstrike exchanges with the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) of incumbent president Bashar Al-Assad. On February 27, the TSK’s official death toll doubled, to over 60, when a Syrian Su-22M4 “Fitter” fighter-bomber hit a Turkish convoy. In reprisal, Ankara bombed a number of Syrian targets, including airfields, UAV control centers, and SAM installations. On March 1, Turkey’s defense minister Hulusi Akar announced that the action against the SAA in Idlib is known as Operation Spring Shield.

In late February, two Syrian Mi-8 helicopters were downed by shoulder-launched missiles, while in another dozen cases, Syrian and Russian aircraft escaped unharmed by using flares and maneuvering. On March 1, two Syrian Su-24M2 “Fencers” were shot down by AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles fired by Turkish air force F-16Cs. The Turks lost a pair of Turkish Aerospace Anka-S armed medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drones, along with a few lightweight UAVs. The first Anka-S went down on February 25 and the second on March 1, both cases having been proven by photo and video reports from crash spots. According to Damascus, its air defenses shot down six Turkish drones on March 1, with a third Anka-S possibly among them.

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