Syrian Air Defense Force

The Syrian Air Defence Force (SyADF or SADF), officially the Syrian Arab Air Defence Force (SyAADF or SAADF; Arabic: قوات الدفاع الجوي العربي السوري) is an independent command within the Syrian Armed Forces. It is responsible for protecting the Syrian airspace against any hostile air attacks. The SyADF is one of the most powerful and combat-tested Air Defence forces in the region.

It has been merged into and then separated from both the Syrian Arab Army and the Syrian Arab Air Force. The Syrian Air Defence Force controls four Air Defence corps, eleven Air Defence divisions and thirty-six Air Defence brigades, each with six surface-to-air missile battalions. Since 2017, it has been linked to a joint Russian-Syrian command.

It is equipped with 650 static S-75 Dvina, S-125 Neva/Pechora and S-200 launchers, 300 mobile 2K12 Kub, Pantsir S-1 and Buk launchers and over 4,000 anti-aircraft guns ranging from 23mm to 100mm in calibre (e.g. ZSU-23-4 Shilka). There are also two independent 9K33 Osa SAM regiments, each with four batteries of 48 mobile SAMs. An unknown number of S-300 system were delivered to Syria in 2018.

A large number of Iranian Air Defence systems were delivered to the country in 2021: Mersad, Khordad-3, Bavar-373 and Khordad-15 systems.

The Syrian early warning system comprises Long Track; P-12 Spoon Rest; P-14 Tall King; H-15 Flat Face; P-18 Spoon Rest; P-19; P-30 Big Mesh; P-35 Bar Lock; P-80 Back Net; YLC-6 Radar; JY-27; JYL-1; PRV-13; PRV-16 Thin Skin; Alborz mobile and static radar sites throughout Syria.