One of the interesting aspects of the operation was the use of a variety of much heavier weapons than we've generally seen used in the conflict so far. To start with we have videos of the common ZU-23-2 auto-cannons and KPV heavy machine guns being used as anti-aircraft weapons
Not so unusual, nor is this mortar being used to attack the air base
But what we also see are at least one Type-63 multiple rocket launcher being deployed, firing a volley of five 107mm rockets with a range of up to 8km in this video
We also see the increasingly common DIY rockets being fired at the airport
But what's very interesting is the use at least one T-55 tank in the operation
So far in the conflict we've only seen a handful of occasions where tanks and other armoured vehicles have been used in combat, no doubt because of the risk of using them without air cover, so it's interesting to see a T-55 being used in an attack where the Syrian Air Force wouldn't have that far to travel to find an attacking tank. Maybe this suggests the opposition are becoming more confident in using anti-aircraft weapons to defend their more vulnerable weapons.
In conclusion we see that the following weapons were used in the attack:
ZU-23-2 auto-cannon
KPV heavy machine gun
Type-63 multiple rocket launcher
T-55 tank
DIY rockets
Mortars
Quite a variety of weapons, and seems to demonstrate how the opposition are becoming increasingly well armed as the conflict continues.
At the start of the interview I explain how tanks are being sent in with poor infantry support, making them vulnerable to RPG attacks, something that is demonstrated perfectly in this video film in the Hanano area of Aleppo in July
In this video we see the opposition fighters spotting a tank parked not too far from the corner they are hiding behind, followed by them waiting 5 minutes for another fighter with an RPG to show up, all the time seemingly unconcerned about being attacked by infantry.
After that we discuss weapons that have recently been spotted with the opposition, in particular multi-barreled rocket launchers, specifically Type-63's, which I wrote about at more length here. I should point out when I said they had a range of 8 milies I actually meant 8 kilometers. This example shows a slightly unusual example of a Type-63 that hasn't been mounted on a truck
As I say in the interview there's ample examples of weapons and ammunition being looted in great quantities, for example in this video we see Type-63 rocket launchers at a checkpoint recently captured by the opposition, and later boxes of ammunition being looted. In this following video we see another example of a huge amount of weapons and ammunition captured in an attack by opposition forces, including ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns and a partial SA-7 surface to air missile system
I also discussed the use of giant slingshots to launch pipebombs, and this video shows an unexploded bomb being harvested for explosives used in these pipebombs
And this videos demonstrates that giant slingshots aren't always the safest weapon in the opposition arsenal
This post details some of the other DIY weapons used by the opposition.
A number of videos have been posted on a number of opposition Youtube channels showing a helicopter being hit, then crashing, at East Ghouta, near Damascus. The first two videos show the helicopter being hit, likely by 23mm AA fire
Update October 5th A very clear shot of the helicopter getting hit
These next videos show the helicopter spinning out of control and crashing into the ground
Update October 5th Another video of the helicopter falling
This final video shows the debris field
Update October 5th Another video was posted showing the debris field
Update October 8th@troublejee has also sent me this photograph, that appears to show pairs of tracer bullets, strongly suggesting a ZU-23-2 was used to down the helicopter
As reported by the BBC and other news organisations the Free Syrian Army claim to have shot down a helicopter in the Damascus district of Al Qabun that had been firing on the district of Jobar
This video shows helicopter engulfed in flames just before it crashes
Another angle of the helicopter dropping out of the sky
And another
And another showing it crashing among buildings
This video shows the wreckage of the helicopter
Thanks to @troublejee for the above videos, as well as this photograph which he says activist claim to be the man who shot down the helicopter, using a ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun, also mentioned by @HebahAlhomsi
Update August 27th Here's another video via @zilal1
I'm frequently asked for help identifying a number of different UXO found in the towns and cities of Syria, and with this guide I hope to assist those of you trying to identify some of these finds, and also hopefully discourage the unnecessary handling of the various UXO found in Syria. I should stress that any UXO should always be left alone as it's impossible to know how safe something is, and that knowing every little detail about a particular piece of UXO is never worth the life of an individual.
AA
These two pictures were posted online, and show the remains of a 23mm HE-I round fired by anti-aircraft guns, such as the ZU-23-2
Artillery
A wide variety of artillery shells are used in Syria, and you can generally tell them from unexploded mortar shells as one end has a gentler taper than mortars, as can be seen in these two examples
It should go without saying that you should never handle unexploded artillery rounds.
Cluster bombs
So far only one cluster bomb has been filmed in Syria, the RBK 250-275 dropped in Jabal Shehshebo region I blogged about when the video first appeared. Activists made this video show the bomblets and bomb casing (more details here)
It should be noted that in moving these cluster bomblets to create this display the activists took a massive risk, and provided no additional information that couldn't have been provided in a far safer manner. None of the new information relates to the bomblets themselves, just the information given by the men in the video.
Unlike a conventional bomb, a cluster bomb breaks open in flight scattering the bomblets, which means the bomb casing will always be left behind, so if a cluster bomb is dropped there should always be a bomb casing left somewhere. However, it's also highly likely unexploded bomblets will be left in the area, and I would strongly advise anyone in the area to avoid the area the bomblets were dropped.
Grenade Rounds
Grenade cartridges, used in underbarrel grenade lauchers are quite rare, and in the below example we see the remains of a VOG round used with Russian weaponry
Mortars
Much like artillery, mortars in Syria come in a great range of sizes, all the way up to the massive 240mm mortars first identified as being used in Homs in February. Generally all that remains are tail fins, which generally look about the same no matter what the size. Here's a couple of example, one small and one from the 240mm mortar shell
So you can see that despite the huge size difference they are similar in many ways. You've got a flat base, a number of curving fins, and holes punched into the stem. For more examples this gallery has a whole range of mortars shell remains. Here are two examples of unexploded mortar shells that have had their tails snapped off, and can be mixed up with unexploded artillery shells. The first is a 240mm mortar shell, much larger than any artillery shell, the second a smaller mortar shell, which has the sharply tapering end that distinguishes it from a artillery shell
OFABs
OFABs are a range of bombs dropped from Hind helicopters, with only OFAB 250-270s being recorded as being dropped in Syria at the moment. I've collected a large number of videos of them here, and the below video shows the most complete example
It should be stressed that as with handling any UXO the people in this video took an incredible risk moving this bomb from the crater it landed in, and UXO should always be left alone as it's impossible to know how safe they could be.
RPGs
A variety of RPG rockets are used in Syria, and generally they leave two distinct types of remains. This first video shows the low explosive cartridges used to propel the rockets out of their launch tubes
You can see an example of the complete rocket with low explosive cartridge attached here.
Then we have the remains of the rockets, which are being pointed to in the below picture (taken from this video)
These are generally quite easy to spot as they are quite thin, and have many holes stamped into them, a clear example of which can be seen on image (source)
Another example of a badly bent RPG motor is shown below, along with another mortar tail fin
S-5 Rockets
The S-5 rocket is a common sight in many videos from Syria, launched from Hinds armed with rocket pods. They also featured heavily in the Libyan Civil War, generally fired from rocket pods welded to the backs of pick up trucks.
They have a very distinctive long thin body, usually a light metallic colour, with black stabliser fins at the rear. The actual explosive charge it only at the very end of the missile, the rest of the body being used to hold propellant. Other examples are here, here, and here.
If you come across any other examples you think aren't mentioned on this page please send them to me and I will attempt to identify them and add them to this page. It should again be stressed that UXO should never be handled as they present a very high risk to the person handling them and anyone nearby.
Here's the latest round up of weapons and equipment featured in FSA videos posted online. Earlier posts can be found here, here ,and here.
AA guns and truck mounted heavy machine guns
Not many new videos in this section, but it's interesting to note the ZU-23-2s being used to fire at ground level targets.
Aleppo - Truck mounted ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun
Unknown - Truck mounted ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun
Jarabulus, Aleppo - Truck mounted DShK
Mortars and rockets
A couple of interesting ones this time round, including a video showing a LAW rocket launcher, the supply of which was covered in a recent Reuters article, alongside what may be home made rockets. There's also an rare sighting of a more advanced anti-tank system.
Talbisah, Homs - Mortar being fired at a shabiha base
Homs - Al-Farouq Brigade - Firing mortars at a shabiha base
Unknown location - Descendants of Khalid ibn al-Walid Battalion - What appears to be homemade missiles, and a LAW
Tanks and armoured cars
As before, the FSA appears to be capturing an ever increasing number of armoured vehicles, and as I reported earlier in the week we've seen the first example of a T-series tank being used in combat by the FSA.
Rastan - Al-Farouq Brigade - 3 T-62 tanks and one armoured car (more details here)
Rastan - Al-Farouq Brigade - One tank, possibly a T-62
Andan, Aleppo - Champions Andan - T-72 tank
Homs - Umar's Free Army Battalion - Battalion formation video with a T-72 tank
Midan, Damascus - Armoured car captured from security forces
Talbiseh, Homs - A mixture of six armoured cars and BMPs captured by the FSA
Ammo, guns and other equipment
Idlib - 4 DShK machines guns, 1 mortar, 60+ mortar shells, and a handful of RPG rockets
DIY
This week we see a return of an old favourite, and a use for all those destroyed and disabled BMPs
Aleppo - A large catapult being used to launch home made explosives
Unknown location - BMP cannon mounted on the back of a truck
Following on from my last two posts on the FSA's weapons and equipment (here and here) here's a number of videos posted by opposition activists showing a variety of weapons in use by the FSA.
AA and Heavy Machine Guns
What's been interesting over the last couple of weeks is the increasing reports of helicopters being shot down by the FSA, and the various videos showing DShK machine guns being used to target helicopters. For that reason I'm going to group AA guns and heavy machine guns together, as it appears they are being used interchangeably, as the following videos will demonstrate. As noted last time a great number of the ZU-23-2 videos come from the Aleppo region, so it's unclear if they are being used by the FSA in great numbers outside of that area
Unknown location - The Free Syrian Army remanufacturing an anti-aircraft gun to attach to a truck
Aleppo - "Brigade of the North" fire at the helicopter airport "Meng" with a ZU-23-2 cannon on a truck
Mortars
One thing I've noticed this week is a big increase in the number of mortars being filmed in use, and how a number of them are smaller mortars, possibly 60mm, rather than the large 120mm mortars previously posted. Here's some examples
Deir Ez Zor - Possibly a 82mm mortar in use by the FSA
Deir Ez Zor - A smaller mortar being used by the FSA, possibly a 60mm mortar
Homs - Ansar Battalion tribute video with a 60mm mortar at 1:45
Unknown location - Fatih Sultan Mehmet battalion, affiliated to al-Faruq, using 82mm mortars
Aleppo, Hadzder - Heart of the North Battalion using 60mm mortars
Aleppo, Andan - Truck mounted mortar captured by the FSA in an ambush
Amour There's also been more reports and videos of captured armoured, and Bjørn H Jespersen has put together a useful guide to the different T-series tanks used in Syria for easy identification that worth a read.
Deir Ez Zor - One of seven T-55 tanks the FSA claim to have captured
Deir Ez Zor - More footage of the seven tanks the FSA claim to have captured
Unknown location - Captured T-62
Daraa - Armoured car captured from security forces in the city
Homs - Al Farouq Battalion with two captured army trucks and two captured BMP variants, including one BMP-1
Captured and purchased weapons and ammo
As before the FSA continue to capture and purchase weapons and ammo
Aleppo - Large selection of small arms and ammo captured from the army, including what appears to be two ZU23 barrels plus ammo
Dier Ez Zor - Ammo and tanks/artillery shells
Aleppo, Izaz - Weapons looted from the army, many AK-47s
Damascus City - The FSA shows off mortars bought from the black market with donations
Damascus, Horan - More weapons purchased with donations
DIY
Not so many DIY videos this week, and I've covered them in detail on the linked posts
Aleppo or Idlib - Free of the North Battalion manufacturing weapons (more here)
Following my earlier post, The Increasingly Well Armed FSA, And Other Oddities, I've been on the look out for videos that give an indication of how well armed the FSA. Aside from the endless defection and brigade formation videos, which usually feature the same small arms, there's been an increase in videos showing truck mounted heavy machine guns and AA guns. Here's a selection of videos posted over the last couple of weeks
Unknown location - Truck mounted DShK heavy machine gun
Al Bab, Aleppo - Truck mounted unknown heavy machine gun
Jabel Zawieh, Idlib - Truck mounted gun, possibly a single barreled ZU-23-2 variant
Idlib - Truck mounted DShK with metal shield
Update June 30th@ginnysacksmole tells me the above individual shown operating the DShK above apparently shot down the helicopter shown lower down in this post, and received a reward of 50,000.00 SYP (781.86USD), according to reports from activists.
Hamidia, Homs - Truck mounted DShk heavy machine gun
Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib - One mounted AA gun, possibly a ZU-23 variant, and a mounted heavy machine gun with a metal shield
Deir ez Zor - Alsaitat Battalion - Truck mounted DShK
As you can see, the majority appear to be DShK heavy machine gun, with only one video (an M2 Browning) of a non-Russian made heavy machine gun posted online as far as I'm aware.
The next set of videos shows the second most prevalent heavy weapon I've come across, AA guns.
Mount Simon, North of Aleppo - Freedom Martyrs Brigade in a captured army base. ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun
Rural Aleppo - Atareb Battalion - Captured 57 mm AZP S-60 and ammo
Qabtane Ej Jebel, Aleppo - ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun firing at helicopter
Although these videos are in Aleppo there have been reports of AA guns captured in other areas of Syria, and as there's also videos of the previously mentioned DShK heavy machine guns being used to fire at helicopters, which might explain where there's started to be reports of downed Syrian helicopters, including this one in Idlib
On top of the captured AA guns there's also been a number of videos showing captured armoured vehicles in a number of different locations.
Jabal Az Zawija, Idlib - Sham Falcons Brigade - Two captured military trucks and an unknown tank
Idlib - Captured BMP-1
Idlib - Captured BMP, unknown model.
I've yet to see any videos of these vehicles in combat, but it does show there's an increasing amount of armour falling into the hands of the FSA, and with an increasing amount of AA guns also falling into their hands they might actually be able to use it with the risk of it being destroyed from the air.
There's also been more videos of weapons, ammo, and equipment captured by the FSA.
Unknown - FSA capturing a truck supposedly loaded with weapons and ammo, unknown contents
Deir Al-Zour - Around 100 assault rifles, likely AK-47s, and a few RPG launchers captured along with ammo
Sheikh Barakat, Aleppo - At 3:20 crates at the captured radio station, unknown contents
So it seems that there's a steady flow of small arms and ammo from captured checkpoints and bases. This influx of small arms is clearly reflected in the following videos, which demonstrate the sort of numbers the FSA can now muster.
Maerdebseh, Idlib - Around 50 FSA fighters armed with a variety of light arms storm the Maerdebseh checkpoint, capturing a tank
Douma, Damascus - A column of dozens of FSA fighters armed with a variety of light arms traveling in a convoy that includes heavy machine guns or AA guns mounted on trucks
Derbers, Deir-Ez Zor - A variety of videos demonstrating the strength and equipment of local forces
Rastan – Formation of the al-Hamza Brigade, demonstrating the increasing size of local FSA forces
Update June 30th Hama Echo has noted in the above video that at 0:47s in the above video you can on the right hand side of the screen a man in blue trousers holding a Strela-2 (SA-7) surface to air missile. Rastan, where this video was filmed, is about 10km away from the missile base that defected on June 10th, from which it is has been reported a number of Stela-2's were looted.
One group that has caught my attention is the Al-Ansar brigade that operates in Old Homs and Talbiseh, who according to activists are a civilian group who have captured a number of heavier weapons, as demonstrated below.
Baba Amr, Homs - Al-Ansar brigade using a truck mounted B-10 Recoilless rifle to attack a check point
Talbisheh, Homs - Al-Ansar Battalion using 120mm mortars.
And this post would of course not be complete with a couple of examples of DIY weapons.
Home made mortar system
Home made rocket
In my mind the home made rocket seems rather impractical; even if you could construct it with a guidance system that gave it at least some chance of hitting a useful target it seems unlikely they could be manufactured easily enough, and in a large enough quantity to be of any use. The mortars on the other hand could actually be of some use as it seems like quite a simple system to manufacture rounds for.
As far as I am aware all these videos were filmed in the last two weeks, and I think really shows how well equipped the FSA are getting, especially if you compare it to previous months. There's pretty strong evidence that the Syrian government is losing control of much of the Aleppo region, including losing military bases, which means more equipment for the FSA in a region where they also have the advantage of a fairly open border with Turkey.
As always, I'm on the look out for any new footage of weapons and equipment captured or in use by the FSA, and if you think I've made any errors, or can provide any more information about the videos I've posted please let me know.
Update June 30thBH Jespersen has posted about a very interesting rocket launcher spotted in one of the videos coming out of Syria, that possibly shows a Belgian made BL-83 Blindicide (tank killer) rocket launcher. Along with FN FAL rifles and the previously mentioned M2 Browning that brings the total of different Belgian origin weapons to 3.
