Russia says 13 armed drones have recently been used to attack its air base and its naval facility in western Syria. The Russian Defense Ministry said on January 8 that there were no casualties or damage as a result of the attacks on the Hmeimim air base and Tartus naval facility.
Russian forces were able to overpower radio signals for some of the drones and gain control of them during the attacks overnight on January 5-6, a statement said.
A technical analysis of the captured drones revealed that the terrorists are able to carry out attacks from a range of about 100 kilometers, the statement added. The Defense Ministry pointed out that the attempted attack marks the first time the terrorists have used modern guidance technologies on satellite GPS.
Ten of the drones targeted the Hmeymim air base and three were sent toward Tartus naval base. Three of 13 drones were brought to the ground in a controlled area outside the base, three UAVs detonated from a collision with the ground, and seven UAVs were destroyed by regular Pantsir-S air defense missile systems. The unmanned aerial vehicles were carrying foreign, professionally manufactured explosives.
“Engineering solutions used by the terrorists in the attack…could have been obtained only from a country possessing high-tech capabilities for providing satellite navigation and remote control,” it added, without naming any country.
Sources: Radio Free Europe; Sputnik