Syria: Since 2011 it has been an “experimental animal” for testing drones – Main “players” Turkey and Iran

The war conflicts in Syria have erupted since 2011 and since then have given the opportunity to use and develop the drones, which were freely tested on the front line. In fact, two countries that won from the war are Turkey and Iran.

According to AFP, at least 39 types of military drones from six countries have been used in Syria, PAX, a Dutch peace NGO, said in a report released today. THE Russiathe USAthe Iranthe TurkeyIsrael and the Syrian regime have used drones in military operations in Syria.

“Syria has become a ‘laboratory of drones’, in which countries and non-state armed groups have tested different new types of drones,” underlines PAX an NGO. “Over the past decade, improved drones in Syrian airspace have repeatedly shown how military agencies (…) have advanced their knowledge” in this area, the report added.

Since 2016, Turkey has been using drones in northern Syria in military operations that have helped it seize a wide swath of border territory. The drone Bayraktar TB-2 developed in Syria has become “Turkey’s best-known combat drone, playing a key role in conflicts in Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh, Ethiopia and most recently in Ukraine,” PAX for Peace pointed out.

The war has proved to be “the ultimate unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) laboratory” for Russia, allowing it to evaluate partner drones and test its own combat drones and weapons.

Russia’s intervention in support of the Syrian regime was crucial as it was losing vast areas of territory.

“Russia (…) significantly influenced the course of the war thanks to drones,” according to PAX. Iran also supplied drones to allied Iraqi militias and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which already had advanced capabilities but consolidated its experience fighting alongside Iran and Russia in Syria, the report said.

Six types of Iranian drones have also been “reported to be in the hands of the Syrian regime,” the NGO clarifies.