Video shows first Russian bomber strikes on Syria launched from Iran

Russian Air Force Tu-22M3 strategic bombers have been involved in the air strikes in Syria since Moscow has startedpounding Islamic State militants last year.The aircraft have carried out carpet bombings dropping OFAB-250-270 and FAB-500M-62 iron bombs on their targets.Operating from Engels and Modzok airbases in southwestern Russia, the aircraft had to cover a distance close to 3,000 km exceeding their combat radius thus requiring the support of several Il-78M aerial refuelers on their way to the targets and back.On Aug. 15, the first images of a contingent of 6 Tu-22M3 bombers forward deployed to Hamedan Air Base in western Iran, along with supporting Il-76 airlifters, emerged.Russia deploys jets at Iranian Airbase to combat insurgents in Syria (Pictures) https://t.co/xY7BJZk34h pic.twitter.com/aSV6lwesb2' Al-Masdar News (@TheArabSource) August 15, 2016On Aug. 16, the Russian MoD confirmed that the Backfire aircraft deployed to Iran performed an air strike around the besieged city of Deir-ez-Zor in eastern Syria.Rus aircraft made strike on militants' objects in #SYRIA taking off from #Hamedan base(Iran) https://t.co/jPdwuY1NAGhttps://t.co/QocYEcztaj' '''''''''' '''''' (@mod_russia) August 16, 2016Based on the footage that was released after the first mission, the Tu-22s were escorted by some Su-30SM Flankers derivatives (launched from Latakia airbase), as happened during the previous airstrikes of the RuAF Tu-22s, Tu-160s and Tu-95s.Under the newly signed agreement with Iran, Russian bombers will be able to cut their flight time by 60%, saving money and increasing the ops tempo: the current distance to Syria in roughly 900 km, meaning that no aerial refueling is required for a round-trip mission from Iran.Hmeymim airbase, near Latakia, that has been the headquarters of the Russian aircraft since October last year was unable to accommodate the large (34m wingspan) Russian supersonic, variable-sweep wing, long-range strategic bombers.SEE ALSO:Russia has released the first official footage of its new fifth-generation fighterJoin the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: Here's the high-tech military equipment Russia could use against the world
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