List of aviation shootdowns and accidents during the Syrian civil war

During the course of the Syrian Civil War, aviation shootdowns, incidents, and accidents have taken place between different state and non-state actors. By mid-2013, according to website Strategy Page, the Syrian Arab Republic Air Force losses totaled nearly a hundred fixed-wing aircraft, as well as one hundred helicopters. Some 400 aircrew have also been killed, captured, or declared missing.

During the conflict, public observation via Google Earth of Syrian airfields shows a decreasing number of aircraft parked in the open in contrast to the increasing number of recorded air sorties. The hubs of Syrian Air Force basing activity prior to and during the Syrian Civil War have been the airfields in the cities of Aleppo, Damascus, Latakia and Hama.

Prior to the takeover of Syria by rebel factions in late 2024, Iran and Russia supported the combat readiness of the Syrian Arab Air Force increasingly over the years, with resources being consolidated towards useful assets and wider availability of service and parts for remaining air-frames.

The list below includes both crewed and uncrewed aircraft.

Introduction Involved air forces

2012 20 June 2012 – A SyAAF Mil Mi-8 helicopter was shot down over Idlib. 22 June 2012 – A Turkish RF-4E Phantom reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by the Syrian Arab Air Defense over the sea near the Turkish-Syrian border while on a mission. Both pilots were killed. Turkey claimed the reconnaissance aircraft was in international airspace when it was shot down, while Syrian authorities stated it was within Syrian airspace. 13 August 2012 –A Syrian MiG-23 was video recorded catching fire in flight. Automatic gunfire was heard in the background while the fighter aircraft was flying level, and at low altitude. The pilot ejected, was captured by rebels, and later interrogated on video. 25 August 2012 – A Syrian L-39 Albatros jet crashed after a ground attack mission on Idlib. 27 August 2012 – An Mi-8 or Mi-17 helicopter was shot down over Damascus, possibly by a ZU-23-2 antiaircraft gun. 30 August 2012 – A MiG-21, tail number 2271, was downed by heavy machine gun fire, likely on takeoff or landing at Abu Dhuhur air base. The airfield was under siege by rebels. 4 September 2012 – Another MiG-21, tail number 2280, was video recorded being shot down. It was likely downed on takeoff or landing at Abu Dhuhur air base, which was under siege by rebels, by KPV 14.5mm machine gun fire. 5 October 2012 – Syrian rebels shot down a Syrian Army Mi-8 helicopter. 13 October 2012 – An L-39ZA Albatros crashed, possibly shot down by 23mm anti-aircraft fire, near Khan al-Asal. The crew, Lt. Col. Haitham Ismail Zhuneida and Lt. Mohammed Salman Mohammed, were killed as they ejected at low altitude. 15 October 2012 – A L-39 Albatros was downed near al-Taana by rebel ground fire east of Aleppo. Both pilots, Capt. Roni Ibrahim and Maj. Moti Shaaban Abbas, ejected and were captured. An Al Jazeera reporter, which reported the aircraft as a "MiG", managed to interview Ibrahim, while Abbas is said to have died in captivity. Ibrahim showed signs of having brawled with his captors and denied previous knowledge of Syrian civilians being targeted by airstrikes. 17 October 2012 – An Mi-8 helicopter was shot down over Damascus, exploding in midair. 5 November 2012 – A SyAAF Mi-17, tail number 2968, was shot down by AA fire from Al-Farouq Battalion, and proceeded to crash inside Tadmor Airbase. The fate of the crew is unknown, although some unconfirmed reports stated 11 personnel were killed in this incident. 28 November 2012 – A video showing the crash site of an Su-24MK2 fighter was posted, with rebels claiming they shot it down with an 9K310 Igla-1 MANPADS. 5 December 2012 – A SyAAF Mil Mi-8 attack helicopter was shot down by Syrian rebels over Anjara. 5 December 2012 – A SyAAF Mil Mi-8 helicopter crew was captured by Syrian rebels after it was shot down in the city of Abu Kamal.

2013 5 January 2013 – A SyAAF Mil Mi-8 was downed near Taftanaz air base in Idlib. 11 January 2013 – Free Syrian Army units invaded Taftanaz air base, seizing at least 5 helicopters. Some of the helicopters were operational, and others were not. 3 February 2013 – SyAAF Mil Mi-8 was downed in the Mansoura area near Al Tabaqa town in Raqqa province. 5 February 2013 – A SyAAF MiG-23 was destroyed on the ground during an Al-Nusra Front attack on the Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase in Idlib. 14 February 2013 – A Sukhoi Su-22 was shot down by rebel forces using a MANPADS. 25 February 2013 – A SyAAF Mil Mi-8 helicopter was shot down by rebels near Menagh Air Base, close to the border with Turkey, using an FN-6 MANPADS. 4 March 2013 – Rebels shot down an Mil Mi-17 helicopter near Menagh airbase, south of Aleppo. 12 April 2013 – A SyAAF Mil Mi-17 was shot down whilst ferrying food and supplies to trapped soldiers in Wadi. 12 June 2013 – Liwa al Islam shot down and recovered an Ababil-3 drone in Damascus. 25 June 2013 – A SyAAF Su-22M-3 was shot down by rebels near Tabqa airbase. 18 July 2013 – Syrian rebels shot down a Syrian Arab Army helicopter, causing it to explode on impact. 18 August 2013 – A Syrian MiG jet fighter (probably a MiG-23) was shot down by rebel fighters (allegedly by a 9K38 Igla). The pilot ejected from the aircraft in Latakia. 10 September 2013 – A SyAAF MiG-21 was video recorded while on fire and crashing in Idlib. The jet was allegedly brought down by FSA (Free Syrian Army) rebel fire. 16 September 2013 – A Mil Mi-17 helicopter was shot down by a Turkish Air Force F-16 in Latakia province, near the Turkish border. The helicopter fell 1 km within Syrian territory. 4 October 2013 – One Mil Mi-17 helicopter was lost when it accidentally struck the tail of a Syrian passenger plane. The airliner landed safely at Damascus airport, and the Syrian information ministry said no passengers were harmed. 7 December 2013 – A Syrian Yasir UAV crashed in the Qalamoun mountains. 19 December 2013 – A Syrian Ababil-3 was lost over the town of Al-Ghantu, a town north of the city of Homs.

2014 16 January 2014 – Syrian rebels claimed to have shot down a Syrian Mi-8 or Mi-17 helicopter with a 9K33 Osa SAM system. 23 March 2014 – A SyAAF MiG-23 was shot down by a Turkish Air Force F-16, when it allegedly entered Turkish air space during a ground attack mission against Al Qaeda-linked insurgents. The pilot ejected and managed to return to a Syrian Army checkpoint, but denies violating Turkish air space. The plane crashed one kilometer inside Syrian territory. 9 April 2014 – A Syrian Yasir UAV was shot down over the Qalamoun area. 21 May 2014 – An Ababil-3, serial number R-1003, crashed due to a technical failure over the town of Mleha in the Damascus countryside. 23 June 2014 – A SyAAF MiG-23BN was shot Down by the FSA's Al Muthanna Bin Haretha battalion in the eastern Qalamoun area north of Damascus. 30 June 2014 – SyAAF pilot Brig. Gen. Bassam Ali Muhammad was shot down during an attack against ground targets in the Hama governorate while flying a MiG-21. Neither side confirmed whether it was brought down by an AA gun or a MANPADS. The aircraft crashed 10 km to the east of Hama air base, as reported by rebel observers. 18 August 2014 – A SyAAF MiG-23MF, tail no. 617, crashed. Rebels claimed to have shot it down. The Syrian government acknowledged the jet had crashed, but did not say it was shot down. The aircraft was based at Hama air base, and was piloted by Major Aref Amin Bsesini (b. 1984), who died in the crash. 12 September 2014 – Syrian militant Sham Legion brigade destroyed a Syrian Mi-17 with a 9M133 Kornet, after the helicopter landed at a military airbase in Idlib Governorate. 16 September 2014 – The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed it shot down a warplane (likely a MiG-21) conducting an airstrike in the city of Raqqa. 23 September 2014 – A SyAAF Su-24 was shot down by an Israeli Air Force MIM-104 Patriot missile system, when it allegedly crossed the Syrian-Israeli ceasefire line during a ground attack mission against Al Qaeda insurgents. It is likely that the crew ejected successfully. (2) 21 October 2014 – Syrian minister of information Omran al-Zoubi claimed Syrian air force fighters had shot down two jets flown by the ISIS as they attempted to land at Jirah Military Airbase. Media reports had claimed ISIS was flying three captured Syrian jets, variously identified as MiG-21s, MiG-23s or L-39s. A brief video posted by the group claimed to show one of the jets in flight. 21 October 2014 – Syrian rebels destroyed a SyAAF L-39ZA with a TOW missile as it sat on a runway at Aleppo airport. 10 November 2014 – A Syrian MiG-21bis, tail number 2204, operating from Hama AB and piloted by Col. Tha'er Aref Saqqour, was downed 45 km east of the airbase near the town of Sabboura. 12 November 2014 – A SyAAF MiG-23 fighter was hit by a Syrian rebel TOW missile at Aleppo airport. 30 November 2014 – A USAF F-16CJ crashed due to a mechanical failure shortly after takeoff for a night combat mission against the Islamic State. The pilot was killed. 21 December 2014 – Syrian sources claimed a Skylark UAV crashed in Quneitra during a reconnaissance mission. The IDF said it had no knowledge of a UAV in the area at the time, but photos of the drone released showed that it was indeed an Israeli Skylark UAV. 24 December 2014 – A Royal Jordanian Air Force F-16AM crashed near Raqqa, Syria. Its pilot, Flight Lieutenant Muath al-Kasasbeh, was captured by Islamic State militants. Initially reported as shot down by enemy fire, ISIL reported it downed the F-16 with a MANPADS while it was flying at low altitude. Later, the US CENTCOM rejected the claim, ruling out hostile fire as the cause of the crash, but stated no further details.

2015 18 January 2015 – A Syrian Air Force Antonov An-26 transport plane crashed while attempting to land at the besieged Abu al-Duhur military airport, killing all 30 soldiers on board. The government blamed the crash on heavy fog, while Al-Nusra claimed they shot the aircraft down. 30 January 2015 – ISIS claimed it shot down a Syrian Arab Air Force fighter in the Bir Qassab area of Damascus. 17 February 2015 – A SyAAF helicopter was reportedly downed by the Al-Qaeda linked Nusra Front over a military base in the northwestern province of Idlib. 17 March 2015 – A US MQ-1 Predator combat drone was shot down by a Syrian Air Defense Force S-125 surface-to-air missile while on an intelligence flight near the coastal town of Latakia. 22 March 2015 – A Syrian Navy Mil Mi-14 helicopter crashed or was shot down over opposition-held rural Idlib. At least one crew member was summarily executed by rebels, four were taken captive, and one remains unaccounted for. 20 April 2015 – A SyAAF L-39 operating from Kuweires air base crashed near the Military Housing due to a technical failure. The copilot Captain Ali Zaher died, while the pilot ejected safely and returned to base. 24 April 2015 – ISIS downed a Syrian MiG-23 ML flying east of Khalkhalah air base in Sweida governorate. Pro-ISIS Twitter accounts claimed jihadist groups had captured the pilot, but later evidence suggested the pilot, Hassan Mohamed Mahmoud, shot himself to avoid capture. Syrian television reported the aircraft crashed due to "technical problems" on a training exercise and that the search for the pilot was ongoing. May 2015 – A Su-24M2 was heavily damaged by anti-aircraft fire and crashed while returning to base. Both the pilot and navigator ejected safely. 16 May 2015 – Two Turkish Air Force F-16s shot down a Syrian Mohajer-4 UAV, firing two AIM-9 missiles after it had lingered within Turkish airspace for 5 minutes. Witnesses on the ground reported seeing the target breaking into three pieces after being hit, before it crashed on the Syrian side of the border. Turkey initially claimed it was a helicopter, but later confirmed it was a UAV.