Sputnik Breaking News: image from sputnik
The US Navy's Boeing P-8 Poseidon was on a patrol mission in the area between the Russian Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval base in Syria when militants attempted to attack the facilities using 13 drones, the ministry revealed on Tuesday.
"… This forces us to take a fresh look at the strange coincidence that, during the attack of UAV terrorists on Russian military facilities in Syria, the Navy reconnaissance aircraft Poseidon was on patrol over the Mediterranean Sea for more than 4 hours at an altitude of 7 thousand meters, between Tartus and Hmeimim," the ministry said.
After preventing the attack, the Russian military analyzed the design of and ammunition inside the seized UAVs, saying that such drones could have been supplied to the militants only by a country that is capable of "providing satellite navigation and remote control for the dropping of explosive devices." Later in the day, the Pentagon issued a statement saying that such drones could be bought on "the open market."
I'd noticed yesterday there were a number of stories presenting that very idea, drones used bought on the open market, one as an example from The Aviationist.I found both the claim and that article not credible
"What are those technologies that are being talked about?" the ministry asked. A spokesperson also called for the Pentagon to reveal where this market is "located and what special service is selling space reconnaissance data" to militants.
I put a kommersant article through google translate..
On Monday, the Ministry of Defense reported on the attack of radical Islamists on Russian military facilities. According to the military, the militants used 13 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to attack the air base at Khmeimim and the support point in Tartus. None of them achieved their goal, and three unmanned aircraft were captured. The military argue that the assembly of UAVs without the help of specialists who understand, for example, in the technology of homing an aircraft-type UAV on satellite GPS coordinates, is impossible. Now the intelligence services are studying the mixtures used in the manufacture of explosives - this should help them calculate the delivery channels of IED components to militants.The first information about the attack of militants from the air appeared on the night of January 6: several military and diplomatic sources told Kommersant that the air defense and EW units stationed in Khmeimim and Tartous successfully repelled the attack.
On Monday, the Defense Ministry specified that the air defense systems then identified "13 small-sized air targets of unknown identity" approaching Russian facilities. According to the results of the data received, the military realized that it was a question of ten shock UAVs aimed at Khmeimim, and three more - to Tartus.
Of these, six EW units were able to take control: three drones were successfully planted near the base, three detonated during a collision with the ground. According to Kommersant's information, it was possible to do this in a short time because the UAVs were moved by analog, rather than digital control.
The remaining seven unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed by the calculations of the Pantsir-S1 air defense missile systems. "There are no injured or material damage at Russian military facilities, the facilities continue to function in a planned mode," the Defense Ministry added.
A total of 13 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), operated by unidentified militants, were reportedly brought down over Syria by Russian anti-aircraft missiles and electronic counter-measures on the night of 5/6 January.The UAVs were being used to conduct improvised explosive device (IED) attacks targeting Russia’s Humaymim airbase in Latakia province and its naval base in Tartous. No casualties or damage were reported.A statement by the Russian ministry of defence claimed that the UAVs had a GPS-based guidance system and were launched at a range of at least 50 km, and had a likely maximum range of 100 km.
hattip to anonymous for this comment
AnonymousJanuary 9, 2018 at 6:39 AMU.S. RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT WAS PATROLLING MEDITERRANEAN SEA IN DRONE ATTACK ATTEMPT ON RUSSIAN BASES IN SYRIA - RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRYDrones that attacked Russian military bases in Syria could have been shipped only from U.S. - Russian senatorONLY UNITED STATES COULD BE SUPPLIER OF DRONES THAT ATTACKED RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES IN SYRIA - FEDERATION COUNCIL MEMBER, FORMER RUSSIAN AEROSPACE FORCES COMMANDER BONDAREV
I'll update if and when necessary.