Every Russian aircraft mission targeting ISIL sites in Syria prepared with study of data collected by drones, space reconnaissance - chief commander
MOSCOW. Oct 7 (Interfax) - All bombs and missiles launched by the planes of the Russian Aerospace Forces targeting facilities of the terrorist Islamic State in Syria have hit their targets, Chief Commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said.
"Aircrews demonstrated high proficiency during this period of time (from September 30 to October 7), all bombs and missiles hit their targets with no mistakes," Bondarev told a briefing on Wednesday.
Each flight is preceded by a thorough training of the aircrew. "We study recorders data, data collected with unmanned aerial vehicles, and space intelligence footage," Bondarev said.
Referring to high efficiency of the use of the aircraft of the Russian aerospace forces in hitting targets of the 'Islamic States' in Syria, Bondarev revealed that "on October 4 only, one formation of two Su-24 airships stroke a 32-vehicule mechanized column of the IS terrorists in the area of the Aleppo airdrome, destroying almost all armored and other military equipment on which terrorists mount their antiaircraft artillery weapons."
"Every flight is analyzed thoroughly and we confirm this work done by our pilots, using data collected with the unmanned aerial vehicles and photo cameras installed on the aircraft, as well as intelligence collected by agents," Bondarev said.
"For all this time, no civilian property in Syria has been damaged [as a result of the strikes carried out by the Russian air forces]," he said.
Chief of the Main Operational Department of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff Gen. Col. Andrei Kartapolov revealed that earlier on October 4, in the course of their mission near the Syrian town of Aleppo, two Russian Su-24 tactical bombers demolished the armored equipment previously captured by terrorists of the Islamic State (the organization banned in Russia) from the Iraqi and Syrian armed forces.
"Let me add to what Viktor [Bondarev, the Chief Commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces] has said. The mechanized column that he mentioned was composed of 32 armored vehicles, including tanks and other armored equipment earlier captured from the armed forces of Iraq and Syria; the militants had planned to use this equipment near the town of Aleppo," Kartapolov said.
"Such strikes will continue as soon as information about demolition objectives is accumulated. However, important sites will be subject to immediate demolition," he said.