Russia has added four SU-35S multifunctional fighter jets to its arsenal in Syria as Moscow is boosting its anti-terror destructive force in the war-torn country.
The newly deployed warplanes, usually working in pairs, are able to detect and attack eight targets simultaneously and are capable of staying airborne for 24 hours in a single flight, covering an area with a radius of 400 kilometers (248 miles).
“The planes will be kept in a state of constant readiness, with a pair of Su-35 ready to take off at a moment’s notice to provide assistance to other aircraft,” a representative of the Russian Aerospace Forces battlegroup in Syria told reporters, Sputnik said on Friday.
The supersonic jets, equipped with a host of air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles along with various-caliber rockets and air bombs, started their missions last week from the Hmeymim airbase in Syria's western Latakia province.
Upon a request from the Syrian government, Russia started conducting airstrikes against the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group’s positions and those of other terrorist groups in Syria on September 30. Since then, it has killed hundreds of Daesh terrorists and other foreign-backed militants and inflicted heavy material damage to them.
The foreign-sponsored militancy, which began in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 260,000 people and displaced almost half of the country’s population.