2011 Syrian Civil War

2A72 30 mm automatic cannon in the 2011 Syrian Civil War

The 2A72 was documented in Syria through August 2015 Latakia offensive footage of a BTR-82A, with open-source investigators identifying the vehicle and assessing its 30 mm cannon fire in the fighting.

Weapon profile2A72 30 mm automatic cannon
SideSyrian government and alliesRoleFire Support
2A72 30 mm automatic cannon, 30 mm dual-feed automatic cannon, Artillery - 2011 Syrian Civil War
Image source: Commons BTR-82A 2A72 Autocannon 01

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
A BTR-82A carrying a 2A72 cannon was documented in August 2015 fighting near Latakia.

Sources: Bellingcat Russian Troops Syria 2A72, Oryx Russian BTR-82A Lattakia

Open-source investigators assessed heard double shots in the footage as fire from the BTR-82A's 30 mm 2A72 cannon.

Sources: Bellingcat Russian Troops Syria 2A72

The BTR-82A's standard main weapon is the 2A72 30 mm automatic cannon.

Sources: Rosoboronexport BTR-82A

The August 2015 vehicle appearance occurred in the wider Russian buildup around coastal Syria and northeastern Latakia.

Sources: ISW Russian Deployment Syria

Timeline

2A72 30 mm automatic cannon In 2011 Syrian Civil War

  1. Latakia battle footage records BTR-82A use

    Footage from fighting north or northeast of Latakia showed a BTR-82A in pro-government operations; later analysis connected the vehicle to 2A72 cannon fire heard in the clip.

    Sources: Bellingcat Russian Troops Syria 2A72, Oryx Russian BTR-82A Lattakia

  2. Oryx identifies BTR-82A in the Lattakia offensive

    Oryx reported that Lattakia offensive footage showed at least one BTR-82A taking part and identified the long-barrelled 2A72 as a distinguishing feature of the vehicle.

    Sources: Oryx Russian BTR-82A Lattakia

  3. Bellingcat assesses 2A72 cannon fire

    Bellingcat assessed the same episode as involving a Russian-speaking BTR-82A crew and identified the heard double shots as the vehicle's 30 mm 2A72 cannon firing.

    Sources: Bellingcat Russian Troops Syria 2A72

  4. ISW places the vehicle in northeastern Latakia clashes

    The Institute for the Study of War described the August 23 footage as showing a BTR-82A apparently manned by Russian-speaking personnel participating in clashes with rebel forces in northeastern Latakia Province.

    Sources: ISW Russian Deployment Syria

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The clearest public record of 2A72 use in the Syrian Civil War comes from August 2015 footage linked to fighting north of Latakia. Bellingcat assessed the video as showing a BTR-82A armored vehicle and identified heard double shots as fire from the vehicle's 30 mm 2A72 automatic cannon.

Oryx separately reported that the same Lattakia offensive footage showed at least one BTR-82A taking part in pro-government operations, and noted that the long 2A72 30 mm autocannon was a key visual feature distinguishing the vehicle from standard BTR-80 variants.

Sources: Bellingcat Russian Troops Syria 2A72, Oryx Russian BTR-82A Lattakia

Timeline

On 23 August 2015, pro-government battle footage from the Latakia front became the central open-source evidence for the 2A72's documented appearance in the war. Oryx published its BTR-82A identification the next day, placing the vehicle in the northeastern Latakia offensive. Bellingcat followed on 7 September 2015 with a detailed assessment tying the vehicle, Russian-language commands, and the heard 30 mm cannon bursts together.

The Institute for the Study of War later described the August 23 footage as showing at least one BTR-82A apparently manned by Russian-speaking personnel participating in clashes with rebel forces in northeastern Latakia Province, situating the vehicle within the wider late-August Russian buildup in coastal Syria.

Sources: Oryx Russian BTR-82A Lattakia, Bellingcat Russian Troops Syria 2A72, ISW Russian Deployment Syria

Narrative

The 2A72 appeared in Syria as the main gun of the BTR-82A rather than as a separately deployed towed or crew-served weapon. Rosoboronexport identifies the BTR-82A's main weapon as the 2A72 30 mm automatic cannon with a 300-round load, which matches the cannon identified in the Latakia footage analysis.

The documented use was therefore vehicle-mounted fire support for pro-government forces in the Latakia campaign. The public record does not establish a broad Syrian inventory of standalone 2A72 guns; it supports a narrower claim that a BTR-82A carrying the 2A72 was fielded and fired in the conflict.

Sources: Rosoboronexport BTR-82A, Bellingcat Russian Troops Syria 2A72, Oryx Russian BTR-82A Lattakia

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Sources