Direct proof of use
The Su-24 is directly documented in the 2011 Syrian Civil War through both Russian and Syrian government-side air operations. RAND's study of the Russian air campaign states that Russia's intervention began on September 30, 2015 and assesses Russian airpower in Syria's civil war; the parent weapon record's RAND source specifically supports Russian Aerospace Forces Su-24 use during that campaign.
Separate incident reporting documents Syrian Arab Air Force Su-24 use. The Aviationist reported that on March 1, 2020, two Syrian Arab Air Force Su-24 jets were shot down over the Idlib region during Turkey's Operation Spring Shield escalation, after Turkey said the aircraft had tried to attack Turkish aircraft. Al Jazeera likewise reported Turkey's defence ministry statement that Turkish forces struck two Su-24 aircraft in Idlib.
Sources: Road to Damascus: The Russian Air Campaign in Syria, 2015 to 2018, Two Syrian Su-24 Fencer Jets And A Turkish Drone Shot Down Over Idlib Region, Syria, Turkey Shoots Down Two Syrian Fighter Jets Over Idlib
Dated milestones
The supported sequence begins with Russia's intervention on September 30, 2015, when Russian fixed-wing aircraft began combat operations from Syria in support of the Syrian government. The Su-24 became one of the Russian strike aircraft types associated with that campaign.
On November 24, 2015, a Turkish F-16 shot down a Russian Su-24 near the Syria-Turkey border. RUSI reported that Turkey said two F-16s shot down the Russian Air Force Su-24 after an alleged Turkish-airspace violation and repeated warnings; OSW similarly summarized Turkey's account and noted that the aircraft was connected to the Syrian border incident. On March 1, 2020, Turkey reported downing two Syrian government Su-24s over Idlib.
Sources: Road to Damascus: The Russian Air Campaign in Syria, 2015 to 2018, Of Falcons and Fencers: Turkey Shoots Down a Russian Jet, Turkey Goes for Broke: Tension After a Russian Bomber Is Shot Down, Two Syrian Su-24 Fencer Jets And A Turkish Drone Shot Down Over Idlib Region, Syria, Turkey Shoots Down Two Syrian Fighter Jets Over Idlib
Role in the conflict
In Russian service, the Su-24's documented Syrian Civil War role was fixed-wing strike support for the Syrian government after Moscow's September 2015 intervention. RAND frames the Russian campaign as the employment of Russian airpower in Syria's civil war, and the Su-24 compact-source note ties the aircraft type to Russian Aerospace Forces operations in that campaign.
Syrian Arab Air Force Su-24s appear in the record as government strike aircraft during the later Idlib phase. The March 2020 reports support the aircraft's presence and combat use over northwest Syria, but they do not independently assign named ground targets or battle damage to individual Syrian Su-24 sorties.
The 2015 Russian shootdown is useful evidence of deployed Russian Su-24 operations around the Syria-Turkey border, but it should be read as an incident in the air campaign rather than proof of a specific strike target. Public accounts disagree on the aircraft's exact airspace position when it was engaged, so this record attributes the competing Turkish and Russian positions only to the reporting sources.
Sources: Road to Damascus: The Russian Air Campaign in Syria, 2015 to 2018, Two Syrian Su-24 Fencer Jets And A Turkish Drone Shot Down Over Idlib Region, Syria, Of Falcons and Fencers: Turkey Shoots Down a Russian Jet, Turkey Goes for Broke: Tension After a Russian Bomber Is Shot Down
