U.S. Air Force Chief Recalls Syrian Air Defences Were a Leading Threat to Air Dominance: Proxy Insurgency Has Now Destroyed Them

<p >Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Frank Kendall on December 19 recalled how the advanced capabilities of Syria’s Soviet-supplied multi-layered air defence network provided a key argument for continuing financing for the<a href=" target="_blank"> F-22 fifth generation fighter</a> program during the 1990s, when after the end of the Cold War significant expenditures had faced growing controversy. Initially conceptualised to go head to head with Soviet Su-27 and MiG-31 fourth generation jets, the capabilities of which were seen to exceed those of their American counterparts the F-15 and F-14, the F-22 was seen as necessary to ensure that the American disadvantage in the air did not become overwhelming as the Soviets introduced ‘4+ generation’ and fifth generation fighters in the 1990s and 2000s. The state’s disintegration in 1991, however, followed by rapid decline in the post-Soviet Russian economy, meant that ambitious programs such as the <a href=" target="_blank">MiG-31M</a> and <a href=" target="_blank">MiG 1.42 </a>were terminated, with Russia falling more than two decades behind schedule in fielding its first fifth generation fighters. This and the improvement of relations between Washington and Moscow as the latter adopted a Western style political and economic system meant the possibility of conflict with Russia was not seen to warrant investment in a costly next generation fighter program. </p><p ><img src=" title="F-22 Fifth Generation Fighters Followed By F-15"></p><p >Regarding Syria’s air defence network, Secretary Kendall recalled: “The scenario that we used … on a requirements basis to convince ourselves, [and] Secretary [of Defense Richard] Cheney, that we should continue with the F-22 was Syria.” “Right after the Cold War, … they had [one of] the most modern … integrated air defences at the time,” he added. The United States had recently launched a<a href=" target="_blank"> large scale air campaign </a>against the much less capable air defence network fielded by Syria’s neighbour Iraq, with the devastation of the Iraqi Armed Forces leaving Syria as the only major military in the Arab Middle East outside the Western sphere of influence. Syria’s air defences had been<a href=" target="_blank"> reinforced by the USSR</a> from late 1982, including with the first ever export of the S-200 long range air defence system which networked multiple powerful radars to be able to engage targets up to 300 kilometres away. These were supported by MiG-23ML fighters, which carried some of the  world’s first look-down shoot-down radars, as well as MiG-25 interceptors, MiG-29 fighters, 2K12 mobile air defence batteries, and a range of other systems. These systems were responsible for shooting down multiple U.S. and Israeli fighter aircraft during limited engagements in the Lebanon War. Syria was expected to be a leading client for the BuK-M1 and S-300PMU-2 systems, although after the USSR’s disintegration and significant Western and Israeli <a href=" target="_blank">pressure on Moscow</a> prevented it from supplying these assets.</p><p ><img src=" title="Syrian Pantsir-S Air Defence Battery Destroyed After Insurgent Victory "></p><p >The F-22’s value for air defence suppression was from the outset highly limited, with the aircraft’s envisaged arsenal of air to surface missiles never materialising, meaning it would need to fly very close to enemy air defence sites to target them with gravity bombs. This could leave the aircraft more vulnerable than non-stealth fourth generation fighters such as the F-15 targeting air defence sites from over 100km away using air to surface missiles such as the AGM-88 HARM. While Syria’s air defence network was not modernised with new systems, the modernisation of existing Soviet systems allowed it to continue to remain a formidable force, with its success rate against Israeli and Western missile strikes remaining high from the mid-2010s up to late 2024. Syria would claim multiple successful shootdowns of Israeli fighter aircraft during these attacks, although Israel would only acknowledge a single loss of an F-16 fighter in February 2018, and did so only after footage of the falling aircraft was publicised on the internet by civilian sources.</p><p ><img src=" title="Syrian 2K12 Air Defence Battery Destroyed After Insurgent Victory "></p><p >The sophistication of Syria’s air defences, paired with a formidable North Korean missile deterrent, was revealed by leaked cables in the early 2010s to have been a primary factor inclining Western Bloc states against launching an air campaign against the country as they <a href=" target="_blank">did against neighbouring Libya</a>. There was thus a strong incentive to invest in means of bringing about Syria’s defeat without engaging its forces in a conventional war, with the support for Islamist insurgents by Turkey, <a href=" target="_blank">Israel</a> and Western Bloc states allowing them to eventually wear down Syrian defences, and on December 8, 2024, finally<a href=" target="_blank"> take power in the country</a>. This ended over 60 years of rule by the Syrian Ba’ath Party, which had long been seen as a key thorn in the side of NATO and Israeli interests in the region. In the aftermath of the insurgent takeover of the country, air defence and ballistic missile sites were quickly ordered abandoned, and were then prioritised for targeting by the Israeli Air Force. While the U.S. and its allies such as Turkey and Israel today face multiple potential adversaries with advanced air defence capabilities, ranging from <a href=" target="_blank">Algeria</a> and Russia to <a href=" target="_blank">North Korea</a>, all are expected to rely on the F-22’s much <a href=" target="_blank">more versatile successor the F-35</a> which, unlike the older aircraft, was designed from the outset to be heavily optimised for air defence suppression missions. </p>