Aircraft Resembles A Russian-Built Mi-8

Syrian rebels are claiming that amateur videos show a Syrian military helicopter being shot down by some kind of anti-aircraft missile, though the videos are unconfirmed.

The Washington Post reports that according to a Facebook posting, "The Free Syrian Army has downed an attack helicopter using anti-aircraft weapons in the Sheikh Salman area in the western countryside."  The paper reports that the page was created by the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, a rebel umbrella group.

In the YouTube video from which the still images shown here are captured, some kind of missile is shown traveling towards and then hitting a helicopter that resembles a Russian-built Mi-8, which would be consistent with aircraft flown by the Syrian military.

The blog EA Worldview reports that there is at least some credence to reports that one military helicopter was shot down, and that conflicting claims that it was a missile and machine gun fire could be due to more than one rebel group firing on the same aircraft, and each thinking they had brought the helicopter down. In one of the videos, what look like parachutes can be seen in the vicinity of the aircraft, leading some to believe that the aircrew got out before the helicopter impacted the ground and exploded.

The incident occurred outside Aleppo in Syria. The Washington Post indicates that, if confirmed, it could be a significant event because the government forces have effectively used aircraft to suppress rebel activity. The ability to shoot down a helicopter could be a considered a small shift in that dynamic.

FMI: http://www.enduringamerica.com