A Forpost-R combat drone. (Screengrab/the Russian Ministry of Defense)
Syrian and Russian activists shared video footage on July 23 showing recent Russian strikes on the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib which is occupied by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its alies.
The strikes hit an underground bunker used by the terrorists, setting military equipment hidden inside of it on fire. The Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria revealed later in a briefing that the pinpoint strikes were carried out by a Forpost-R combat drone.
The Forpost-R is a modernized variant of the original Forpost drone, which is a licensed copy of the Israeli IAI Searcher. This version is made from Russian components and has a domestic software. The drone has a takeoff weight of 500 kg, a range of 400 kilometers and an endurance of 18 hours at an altitude of up to 6,000 meters.
The combat drone is typically armed with KAB-20 light glide bombs or X-BPLA missiles, an air-launched version of the Kornet-D.
HTS and its allies escalated their attacks in recent weeks amid renewed efforts to renormalize relations between Turkey, who maintains a large force in Greater Idlib, and the Damascus government. These efforts are reportedly being led by Russia.
In response, the Syrian Arab Army and the Russian military group in Syria stepped up strikes on Greater Idlib, relying mainly on drones.
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