One of the leaders among wheeled armored vehicles in Syria is the BTR-80 and its further modifications. For the first time on the territory of the Arab Republic, cars came in 2013 from Russia. The main purpose of the 30 delivered armored personnel carriers was the protection of convoys carrying destroyed stocks of chemical weapons. The Syrians appreciated the new vehicles for them and, after eliminating the stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, distributed them among the most combat-ready units, including the elite 4th Panzer Division. The BTR-80, which entered the Syrian army, is the most modern in its series - it is equipped with a TKN-4GA dual-channel night-day sight (adopted by the Russian army in 2007) and a PL-1 laser searchlight.
BTR "eightieth" series in Syria. Source: vk.com
The armored personnel carriers modernized in this way were warmly welcomed in Syria and, according to tradition, were abundantly hung with lattice screens, since with all the improvements, the armor resistance remained the same. More serious in terms of firepower, the BTR-82A were first tested in battle at the end of August 2015 in the Latakia region. According to the military, the vehicle is superior in combat qualities to the BMP-1, but requires adaptation to the hot climate of the region.
"Tigers" in Syria. Sources: vk.com, twitter.com
In the first period of deliveries of domestic weapons to Syria, there were gifts in the form of GAZ-233001 "Tiger", which lacked armor, which, in fact, devalues them even in the role of a staff vehicle. Over time, the "Syrian Express" began to supply AMN-233114 "Tiger-M", which is one of the most modern armored vehicles of the Russian army. The total number of vehicles is insignificant, but local servicemen highly appreciated the fighting qualities of the Russian "Tiger". On their own, large-caliber DShKMs were installed on the equipment, and in the most recent deliveries from Russia, models equipped with "Crossbow" remote modules were seen.
Armored vehicles "Lynx" in Syria. Sources: vk.com, twitter.com
Often, IVECO LMV M65 machines under the designation Lynx, which are also retrofitted with DShKM, work side by side with the "Tigers" in special operations. The main theater of war of the Russian feline family is the central regions of Syria and the vicinity of Aleppo.
"Shots" in Syria. Sources: vk.com, twitter.com, youtube.com
Deliveries of armored vehicles KAMAZ-43269 "Shot" since autumn 2015 and since February 2017 GAZ-39371 "Vodnik" have expanded the range of wheeled armored vehicles in the Syrian army. "Shot" managed to become famous during the panic retreat of local troops from Palmyra - the military simply left him almost with the keys in the lock. Obviously, the long-term habit of treating armored vehicles as a waste resource on the battlefield has not yet disappeared. Officials claim that strikes by Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed the vehicle before it was used by the militants. The most high-speed armored personnel carrier (speed up to 120 km / h) among the Syrians was the Vodnik, mainly used in the rear and in low-intensity operations. Affected by weak armor and armament - either 14.5-mm KPVT with 7.62-mm PKT in a tower installation, or with a sanitary module without weapons at all.
"Vodniki" in Syria. Sources: vk.com, twitter.com
It is much more usual for the Syrian army to use the good old BRDM-2, which they have been operating for more than forty years. They fought with Israel in 1973 and 1982. In the process of knocking out heavy tracked vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles, the command decided to withdraw from storage bases various modifications of reconnaissance vehicles equipped with Malyutka-P anti-tank systems, Strela-1 air defense systems and basic machine-gun versions. In particular, all the equipment from the military schools in the southwest of Aleppo was sent into battle. For the needs of the police, a small number of BRDMs were allocated, which were repainted in the standard color of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - blue and blue. It was only possible to launch stock BRDM-2 into battle if the enemy had nothing more serious than the AK series, so the vehicles were equipped with lattice screens, AGS-17 automatic grenade launchers, video cameras, open turret installations with NSVT, additional hatches with loopholes in the sides, as well as remotely controlled modules with ZU-23-2. Gasoline engines, many of which have exhausted their service life, have been replaced with diesel engines for some of the cars. Such armored vehicles, according to some information, belong to the fighters of the pro-government detachment "Liwa al-Quds", who were deprived of heavy and modern armor, so they had to go to such tricks. The most recent squeak was a new welded tower, protecting the BRDM-2 arrow from bullets and shrapnel from all sides, into which the NSVT was installed. In general, the experience of modernizing already completely outdated Soviet-made armored vehicles can be considered rather positive, although it is not a panacea either - with a successful coincidence for the militants, the thin armor of the BRDM-2 easily breaks through.
BRDM-2 in various modifications in Syria in the army and police. Sources: vk.com, twitter.com, youtube.com
The BTR-60 and its Eastern European equivalent OT-64 SKOT (the latter were delivered from Czechoslovakia about 300 vehicles) were withdrawn from the Syrian armed forces long before the start of the confrontation. However, only a few command and staff vehicles remained in the troops, as well as part of the BTR-60PB were modernized by Kurdish formations (read, restored from scrap metal). In the regular army, the pitiful remnants of the BTR-60 were knocked out at the very beginning of the war, so now attempts are being made to restore the abandoned equipment. Armored personnel carriers are also fighting on the side of the militants, and OT-64 for the most part comes from the Bulgarian port of Burgas through Jeddah. In particular, the shipments, which take an average of 5 days, are handled by the Danish ship Hanne Danica.
BTR-60PB and OT-64 SKOT in Syria. Sources: vk.com, twitter.com, youtube.com
The BTR-152 in a large composition has long been withdrawn by the Syrian army to storage bases, where, before the start of the civil war, they peacefully rusted. The total number of these three-axle armored personnel carriers in Syria is about 500 vehicles, some of them served in police units. Now, also due to the lack of regular armored vehicles, the command has decided to "reanimate" the abandoned BTR-152 to a running state. Usually, the retrofitting of machines consists in the additional installation of three Goryunov SGBM heavy machine guns to one main one. The Syrian army apparently does not plan to change the gluttonous and flammable gasoline 110-horsepower engine to diesel. One gets the impression that the return to the ranks of Soviet machines is taking place according to the principle of "collect one out of three." In the camp of the enemy, the BTR-152 is treated more carefully - the roof is welded, a semblance of a tower is installed and the wheels are covered with steel plates.
BTR-152 in Syria and Iraq, intended for the police, army and rebels. Sources: vk.com, twitter.com
Tracked BTR-50s have not been fought by Syrian troops for the first time - the vehicles have been actively used against the Israelis in various conflicts. Like most Soviet tracked vehicles, the Fifty received good reviews in Syria, but for the time being did not take part in the civil war. Now there are episodic cases of escorting army tank units with these well-deserved armored vehicles. At least two BTR-50s in the commander's version fell into the hands of militants in Raqqa, they equipped them with several hundred kilograms of explosives, planted "experienced" mechanized guards and blew them up at the location of government forces in the Deir ez-Zor area. The key advantage of the BTR-50 in such a fatal role is its low silhouette, relatively high speed and large angles of inclination of the armor in the frontal part, which complicates the defeat of the approaching "shahidomobile" from small arms and portable artillery. MTLB. or "biker". in the Syrian conflict is also actively used by both sides. Most of the vehicles came from Iraq, where the transporter was in service, and also with the "Syrian Express" from Russia. MTLB is also being finalized by installing towers from BMP-1 and twin anti-aircraft guns.
British light armored vehicles in Syria. Sources: vk.com, twitter.com
In addition to Russian and Soviet technology, armored vehicles of third countries serve in the ranks of government forces. British Shorland based on the legendary Land Rover is more suitable for police operations, in which he initially participated. But he found a place in the special forces brigade "Tigers" and a couple of other units already in the course of a full-scale war. The Englishman is over 50 years old, has a modest 8-mm armor and is presented in four versions in Syria. Shorland Mk. 3 and Mk. 4 are equipped with closed turrets with a 7, 62-mm machine gun and a smoke grenade launcher, troops are not capable of transporting vehicles, and the crew consists of three people. The machines of the SB.301 and SB.401 models can already take on board a landing of six people (a crew of a driver and a commander), but fire can only be fired through embrasures. In some military units, armored vehicles were equipped with large-caliber machine guns. It can be assumed that at the moment in the ranks of the Syrian army there are isolated copies of Shorland, since most of them were destroyed in the initial period of the war. For several years now, the forces of the Syrian Free Army ("moderate opposition") have been receiving from the United States Canadian AG Guardian APC armored vehicles, armored according to the second and third STANAG levels and equipped with 12.7 mm Browning. The vehicle is fast enough - the speed is up to 120 km / h and is capable of taking on board 10 infantrymen. The lack of heavy weapons and sufficient armor for the Guardian insignificantly increase the opposition's strike potential, but only increase its mobility.
"Moderate opposition" and its Guardian from Canada. Sources: vk.com, twitter.com
Maintaining tensions in the region with sufficient support from the jihadists in the Middle East could bring new armored players to the fields of Syria, since there are plenty of them in the arsenals of the Cold War. It is important that the conclusion from the experience of light armor battles in the Syrian conflict will be the adjustment of the tactical and technical requirements for promising armored vehicles both in Russia and in other countries.
