Syrian army shot down MQ-4C Triton UAV, Iran claims [video]
DAMASCUS, BM, ($1= 1,257.86 Syrian Pounds) – The Syrian military, backed by Iranian experts, shot down one of the most expensive US drones, the MQ-4C Triton, according to Middle East news accounts on Twitter.
The plane was shot down, probably from the Buk-M2 complex, Rangeload news channel reported on Twitter. The Iranian agency U-news in its Twitter clarified that the drone was shot down in the province of Aleppo.
The MQ-4C Triton is operated by four operators on the ground, with a length of 14.5 meters, a wingspan of 39.9 meters, and a height of 4.6 meters. The weight of the unmanned vehicle is 6 tons 781 kg, the normal take-off weight is 14 tons 630 kg. The power plant is a turbojet engine Rolls-Royce AE 3007.
The maximum speed of the vehicle is 610 km / h, the cruising speed is 575 km / h, the practical range is a little over 15 thousand km.
This UAV was designed and manufactured by Northrop Grumman Corporation. It is an American military-industrial company focused on electronics and information technology, space, and shipbuilding.
In late July 2021, the MQ-4C Triton received a hardware and software update, according to The Defensepost. According to this information, a successful test flight of the renewed drone was completed on July 29. An Integrated Functional Capability-4 multifunction sensor installs on it.
In June 2019, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shot down an RQ-4A drone over the Strait of Hormuz. According to Tehran, the device was in its airspace.
The MQ-4C Triton was initially reported to have been taken down, but this has been denied in the United States. The American media reported that a prototype has been downloaded, based on which they can develop technologies for using the MQ-4C Triton. BulgarianMilitary.com cannot confirm the information disseminated on social networks, as our field source still does not guarantee its reliability.
The civil war in Syria
The Syrian civil war has been going on for almost a decade. Attempts by movements such as the Syrian Democratic Forces to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have failed.
The Syrian democratic forces are armed by allies and the United States, while the Syrian army is armed mainly by Russia. Russia is the only country officially invited to Syria by President Bashar al-Assad.
In 2017, the United States launched a massive missile strike on Bashar al-Assad’s forces after a report emerged that the Syrian president had used chemical weapons to attack his people in the country. Syria and Russia deny such actions.
During his tenure, US President Donald Trump decided to withdraw much of US troops from Syria, leaving several troops to guard Syria’s oil fields on the pretext of “falling into the hands of Islamic State.”
With the withdrawal of the United States, Turkey comes to the fore, declaring it necessary to deal with the Kurds and the PKK movement in the northern part of the country, which borders Turkey. That is why Erdogan is sending troops in an attempt to build a stable and secure 30km zone between Syria and Turkey, which will prevent future terrorist attacks on Turkish territory, as it is.
Ceasefire
In February 2020, Turkey lost at least 62 troops killed in Syria. Nearly 100 soldiers were wounded, Syrian-backed forces destroyed dozens of Turkish armored vehicles, and more than ten drones, including drones, were shot down. Washington has repeatedly accused Moscow of involvement in the deaths of Turkish soldiers, Russia rejects these allegations.
In early March 2020, the presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreed that a ceasefire came into force in the Idlib de-escalation zone. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad later said that if the US and Turkish military did not leave the country, Damascus would use military power.
The reason for the Russian-Turkish negotiations was a sharp aggravation of the situation in Idlib, where in January, a large-scale offensive by the Syrian army against the positions of the armed opposition and terrorists began.
Government forces recaptured nearly half of the Idlib de-escalation zone and left behind several Turkish observation posts. After that, Ankara sharply increased its military contingent in the region and launched the operation “Spring Shield” to push the Syrian troops. Militants are loyal to Ankara and support Turkey.
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