Illustrative image. (Roketsan)
Turkey could soon supply Syria with guided heavy multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), a source close to the new Syrian military has told SouthFront.
Following the fall of the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad, Turkey emerged as the main ally of Syria’s Interim Government that was formed by Islamist rebels it backed for years. Ankara is now playing a leading role in the rebuilding of the country’s military which lost nearly all of its advanced capabilities as a result of an Israeli primitive attack that took place after the collapse of the Assad regime last year.
In October, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense announced that 49 Syrian cadets will begin training at the country’s military academies.
The source who spoke to SouthFront revealed that thousands of other Syrian military personnel, including both officers and soldiers, are currently training in Turkey.
The Syrian military has already received a number of T-122 Sakarya MLRS from Turkey, according to the source, who didn’t provide more details.
The Sakarya fires a variety of 122 mm unguided rockets with a range up to 40 kilometers, but it can also launch two types of guided projectiles: the TRG-122 which is equipped a satellite-aided inertial navigation system (INS); and the TRLG-122 which is guided via semi-active laser. The source didn’t reveal if the Syrian military received any of these projectiles.
The Turkish military deployed a number of Sakarya MLRS in its positions in northern Syria for years. It is possible that these very systems were the ones transferred to the Syrian military.
Click to see full-size image.
The source also revealed that Turkey could soon supply the Syrian military with the much heavier TRG-300 Tiger MLRS, more known as the T-300 Kasirga, hinting that training on the system may be already underway.
The Kasirga fires 300 mm rockets guided via a satellite-aided INS system. Block I rockets have a range of 120 kilometers and carry a warhead weighing 105 kg, while Block II rockets have a range of at least 190 kilometers and carry a warhead weighing 190 kg. Both projectiles are said to have an accuracy of under ten meters.
The MRLS would bring the firepower of the Syrian military to a whole new level, making up for the absence of a capable air force.
Click to see full-size image.
A report by Bloomberg from October revealed Turkish plans to arm the Syrian military with advanced weapons, including armored vehicles, drones, artillery, missiles, and air defense systems.
The weapons will be deployed in northern Syria to avoid any tensions with Israel in the south, according to the report, which noted that this plan is part of broader understandings with the Interim Government to support efforts to rebuild the Syrian military.
Bloomberg said at the time that the Turkish shipments aim to support Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and unify the country under his leadership, indicating that the weapons are mainly meant to counter the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces which controls much of the country’s northern and eastern regions with support from the United States.
While this report and others suggest that there will be restrictions on the deployment and use of weapons provided by Turkey, the supply of a highly-capable MLRS like the Kasirga could still trigger Israel.
The system could threaten all Israeli military bases in the occupied Golan Heights all the way from central Syria with Block II rockets.
In recent weeks, talks on a security agreement between Israel and Syria reached a dead end. One of Israel’s conditions was reportedly a limit on the armament of the Syrian military. Tensions increased following a clash in the south of the country last week that left 20 Syrians dead and six Israeli troops wounded. Israel suspects that Syrian intelligence was involved.
Israel has not yet publicly made any accusations or threats related to the armament of the Syrian military, although it demanded the complete demilitarization of the southern region and said that it would prevent Turkey from establishing any presence in the center or the coast of the country.
If Syria ends up receiving Kasirga MLRS, Israel could use this as a pretext to escalate, even if the systems were deployed in the north of the country.
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