Russians fight off swarm of drones at Syrian bases

RUSSIA has fought off an attack by a swarm of drones launched by jihadists against its bases in Syria.

Thirteen attack drones were launched against the Khmeimim airbase and a naval facility in the city of Tartus on Syria’s western coast, the Russian defence ministry said.

Russian forces shot down seven of the drones with anti-aircraft missiles while the other six were hacked by a cyberware unit and taken under Russian control, the ministry said. No damage or casualties at the two military bases were reported.

The attack appears to be the largest example to date of insurgents using a mass of primitive drones in combat and Russia said it had never before faced such an attack.

“It was the first time when terrorists applied a massed drone aircraft attack launched at a range of more than 50km (31 miles) using modern GPS guidance systems,” a defence ministry spokesman said.

Three drones were recovered by Russian forces and photos showed they were made partly of wood and held together with masking tape. Another picture showed a row of small explosives.

Suspicion for the Jan 5 night attack immediately fell on Syrian rebel and jihadist groups based in Idlib, an opposition controlled province next to Latakia, where both Russian military facilities are located.

Experts have long predicted drones will become an increasingly common feature of the modern battlefield.