Syrian opposition forces have captured an S-75 air defense system from government forces near the city of Hama, which they had taken control of.

Photos of the air defense system were published by Anadolu Agency.

The Soviet-era S-75 antiaircraft system, dating back to the 1960s, was seized by opposition forces. The system included six launchers, radars, and five missiles, and was captured near a military airport west of Hama.

Given the missiles installed, at the time of the seizure, the system was in good working order and on alert despite its age.

However, judging by other photos, some of the components of the system were seriously damaged, in particular, by small arms fire.

The RSN-75V radar station, which provides the system with tracking of detected targets and guidance of anti-aircraft interceptors, was also damaged.

S-75 in service with the Syrian Arab Army

Despite the losses from the destructive civil war, Syria still has one of the most powerful air defense systems in the Middle East. Today, the country’s Air Defense Command has two anti aircraft divisions under its command, which include an air defense brigade and two anti aircraft missile regiments.

According to various estimates, the country has about 130 air defense systems of various types, based on old Soviet systems such as the S-75, S-125, and S-200, as well as newer Russian Buk-M2E and Pantsir-S1E systems.

The S-75M and S-75M3 systems remain one of the oldest systems still in service. 52 units of them were delivered by the Soviet Union in 1974–1987.

Due to their low mobility and obsolescence, they are used mainly as air defense systems for large cities such as Hama, Aleppo, and Tartus.

It is known that as of 2021, the Syrian military conducted military exercises involving S-75s. And in 2022, Russian agencies reported that these systems intercepted several Israeli missiles and guided bombs near the city of Masjaf.

As a reminder, the other day the forces of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham opposition group captured the latest Russian 48Ya6-K1 Podlet-K1 radar.