Shayrat Airbase facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shayrat Airbase
قاعدة الشعيرات الجوية
Qaeidat al-Shshaeirat al-Jawwia
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | Syrian Armed Forces | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Syrian Arab Air Force
Iranian Armed Forces Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps |
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| Location | Shayrat, Homs Governorate | ||||||||||||||
| In use | Unknown–present | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°29′24″N 36°54′32″E / 34.49000°N 36.90889°E | ||||||||||||||
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 Shayrat Air Base
Location in Syria
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Shayrat Airbase is a military airport in Syria. It's like a big parking lot and repair shop for military airplanes! This airbase is home to the 50th Air Brigade of the Syrian Air Force and is located near the city of Homs. It has two long runways for planes to take off and land. There are also about 40 special shelters to protect aircraft.
What Kinds of Planes are at Shayrat Airbase?
The 50th Air Brigade at Shayrat Airbase has three groups of fighter planes. These groups are called squadrons. Each squadron flies different types of aircraft.
- 675th Fighter Squadron: These planes are MIG-23s.
- 677th Fighter Squadron: These planes are SU-22s.
- 685th Fighter Squadron: These planes also fly SU-22s.
Some officials from the United States government once thought that the base might also store chemical weapons.
A Brief History of Shayrat Airbase
The Shayrat Airbase was first built a long time ago, in the 1960s. Over the years, different countries have used it.
Who Uses Shayrat Airbase Today?
The Russian Air Force also uses this airbase. In 2015, Russia made the runways longer. This helped them fit bigger Russian airplanes. In February 2016, the Russian military sent twice as many attack helicopters to Shayrat.
Reports said there were "four Russian Mi-35 helicopters, four Mi-24s, and one Mi-8/17." This was in addition to four Mi-24s that arrived in November 2015. Besides aircraft, a Russian army unit with large howitzer guns also set up nearby.
The airbase is also used by the Iranian Air Force. They use it a lot for their military needs.
Why Did the U.S. Attack Shayrat Airbase in 2017?
On April 6, 2017, the United States launched missiles at Shayrat Airbase. This happened because U.S. President Donald Trump gave the order. Two U.S. Navy ships, the USS Ross and the USS Porter, fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at the base.
This attack was a response to a suspected chemical attack in the town of Khan Shaykhun. It was believed that the chemical attack had been launched from Shayrat Airbase. The United States told Russia, a big ally of Syria, about the missile strike before it happened.
