The Syrian Air Force (SAF) has, since the current civil war began in 2011 relied heavily on Russia and Iran to keep its aircraft flying and to replace combat losses. For example Iran upgraded several SAF Mi-17 helicopters with armor plates and FLIR cameras as well as basing Mojaher 4, Yasir and Shahed 129 UAVs in Syria and even providing an Il-76TD transport aircraft for the SAF to bring equipment in from Russia and Iran.
Now, Iran has also provided the SAF with ten refurbished Su-22 ground attack aircraft.
These aircraft are from the 40 Iraqi Air Force Su-22s flown to Iran during the 1991 war (don't try to figure out that logic! ). They were sent to Iran “for safekeeping” but Iran considered them war reparations and quite naturally kept them. Due to embargoes and money shortages Iran was unable to refurbish these Su-22s until recently. In 1913, Iran consulted a Ukrainian firm about how long and how much it would cost to overhaul the Su-22s. It was too expensive and Iran decided to restore ten Su-22 to operational condition without any foreign help by using other Su-22s and Su-20s as a source for spare parts.
At the end of the 2014 Iran ordered the ten Su-22s to be partially disassembled and flown in Il-76s to Syria, in order to assist the Syrians in their war against their own rebels. The first of these newly delivered Su-22s were viewed while bombing the town of Talbeesa, Homs Governorate, on the 9th of March 2015.
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