Oh great, now IS is training pilots

[RodeoX]

People have noticed and reported short training flights from IS held airbase.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29660029

[Snail2]

People have noticed and reported short training flights from IS held airbase.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29660029

To train a talented recruit to a pilot takes a couple of months, but they still will be inexperienced rookies and will be outclassed by any seasoned, battle hardened pilot. In addition they have some really old planes (MIG-21s or MIG-23s maybe SU-17s).

[RodeoX]

People have noticed and reported short training flights from IS held airbase.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29660029

To train a talented recruit to a pilot takes a couple of months, but they still will be inexperienced rookies and will be outclassed by any seasoned, battle hardened pilot. In addition they have some really old planes (MIG-21s or MIG-23s maybe SU-17s).

I agree. And to make an air force takes many years. They will have a hard time finding spare parts and jet fuel also. I would worry more about a suicide jet loaded with 500lb. bombs. But yes, they will make good training targets for other countries.

[My Name Was Taken]

Link isn't working for me. Has anyone else been able to click through?

[coolcoin]

People have noticed and reported short training flights from IS held airbase.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29660029

To train a talented recruit to a pilot takes a couple of months, but they still will be inexperienced rookies and will be outclassed by any seasoned, battle hardened pilot. In addition they have some really old planes (MIG-21s or MIG-23s maybe SU-17s).

They don't worry about being outclassed. Because they are training kamikaze pilots.

[commandrix]

And the Japanese used to send half-trained kamikaze pilots to basically turn their planes into missiles that targeted Allied warships. My question is, where is the ISIS getting planes from?

[Snail2]

And the Japanese used to send half-trained kamikaze pilots to basically turn their planes into missiles that targeted Allied warships. My question is, where is the ISIS getting planes from?

The Syrians left behind a couple of obsolete or not airworthy planes when evacuated their airbase near to Aleppo.

[Spendulus]

People have noticed and reported short training flights from IS held airbase.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29660029

To train a talented recruit to a pilot takes a couple of months, but they still will be inexperienced rookies and will be outclassed by any seasoned, battle hardened pilot. In addition they have some really old planes (MIG-21s or MIG-23s maybe SU-17s).

They don't worry about being outclassed. Because they are training kamikaze pilots.

Unqualified assumption.

I can't think of any military commander who would want air assets except to support ground operations.  Jets go in, soften up the targets, then ground forces go in.  However this will backfire if they try it.

Kamikaze is last resort of a loser.  Also, with today's airborne and ground to air weapon systems I don't think kamikaze tactic would even work.  Element of surprise would be needed.  But this base and these aircraft will be closely watched.

[WoopDeBoop]

lol what happened last time arabs fought an air war?

Israel vs Syria is actually known as the Bekaa Valley Turkey Shoot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mole_Cricket_19

[cryptocoiner]

People have noticed and reported short training flights from IS held airbase.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29660029

ISIS is not a problem for the world, western media coverage is a problem.

[zetaray]

When I first heard about ISIS, I thought it was not a threat to countries outside middle east. Since then, they have over ran armies, recruited US and European nationals, planned attacks outside the middle east, they have become a serious threat.

[bitsmichel]

People have noticed and reported short training flights from IS held airbase.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29660029

ISIS is not a problem for the world, western media coverage is a problem.

Area of operations operations Iraq, Syria, Lebanon. Size of ISIS is 80,000–100,000 (up to 50,000 in Syria and 30,000 in Iraq). CIA estimates 20,000–31,500. 

[cryptocoiner]

People have noticed and reported short training flights from IS held airbase.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29660029

ISIS is not a problem for the world, western media coverage is a problem.

Area of operations operations Iraq, Syria, Lebanon. Size of ISIS is 80,000–100,000 (up to 50,000 in Syria and 30,000 in Iraq). CIA estimates 20,000–31,500. 

More like 10000-20000. They control a very small part of those countries.

[scarsbergholden]

People have noticed and reported short training flights from IS held airbase.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29660029

To train a talented recruit to a pilot takes a couple of months, but they still will be inexperienced rookies and will be outclassed by any seasoned, battle hardened pilot. In addition they have some really old planes (MIG-21s or MIG-23s maybe SU-17s).

I agree. And to make an air force takes many years. They will have a hard time finding spare parts and jet fuel also. I would worry more about a suicide jet loaded with 500lb. bombs. But yes, they will make good training targets for other countries.

It will take many years for a country to develop an air force that is able to fight and survive, however it will take much less time to develop an army of suicide bombers that have the ability to inflict a lot of damage to both an opposing military and civilians before the fighers end up getting shot down

[Snail2]

It will take many years for a country to develop an air force that is able to fight and survive, however it will take much less time to develop an army of suicide bombers that have the ability to inflict a lot of damage to both an opposing military and civilians before the fighers end up getting shot down

I think the situation not that bad. According to the reports they have something like three working planes at this moment, all three are old MIG-21s. These planes originally were designed as short range high speed interceptors (later some ground attack versions were also made) so not really suitable for precise kamikaze attacks. In addition these export version planes even after some upgrades still representing the technological level of the late seventies or early eighties at best. MIG-23s are better but not a match for modern air defenses.
So even the Syrian planes or air defense can catch them with ease. Don't forget that Syrians have evacuated the much more modern MIG-29s and SU-24s, they still have pretty good air defense (including S-300 systems, plenty of SA-6, SA-8, SA-10, SA-11 batteries, and vast amount of older but modernized SA-2, SA-3 and SA-5 static launchers).

This video allegedly shows some of their planes:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11170977/Does-Islamic-State-have-an-air-force.html

...if that's correct the situation is more funny as the first three jets are looks like MIG-15/17s. Some Mig-23s in the later part of the video, but the two seat training versions. On other pictures in the news they shown some MIG-21s or SU-17s.

I think we shouldn't be too worried because of this Islamic Air Force.

[chopstick]

Any mention of a potential IS air force is propaganda/ fear mongering. They have no trained pilots or aircraft that aren't 30 years old.

If they tried to use those things in a combat mission they would get shot down immediately, or crash due to pilot error.

Anyway, IS exists because they are funded/armed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, all of whom happen to be USA allies.

Quite the fucked up world we live in. They are so desperate to get rid of Assad that they don't mind creating this genocidal monster..

[BRE]

It will be interesting to see how this story pans out , for all we know that ISIS controlled air base could be a series of smoldering holes in the ground at this very moment.
Still, one thing is certain , ISIS cannot be underestimated when it comes to their ability to re-purpose looted military hardware for their own means and , if they really have taken to the air over Aleppo, it would mark a whole new level of military sophistication for the feared group.

But for US , it will be easy to eliminated that threat   

[Rannasha]

if they really have taken to the air over Aleppo, it would mark a whole new level of military sophistication for the feared group.

Hardly.

Getting a plane like that to fly takes one or two mechanics that know what they're doing and someone capable of flying it. Considering IS contains people that used to be in the Iraqi army, it's not surprising if some expertise in this area is available. The captured Migs are ancient, so all there is to know about them is out in the open and there are no high-tech gizmos that are hard to fix/replace.

If IS starts to use these planes for combat (or one too many parade-flights), either the Syiran army or the US will pop them out of the sky without any problems. Those planes are simply too old to still be competitive against modern arms.

[My Name Was Taken]

if they really have taken to the air over Aleppo, it would mark a whole new level of military sophistication for the feared group.

Hardly.

Getting a plane like that to fly takes one or two mechanics that know what they're doing and someone capable of flying it. Considering IS contains people that used to be in the Iraqi army, it's not surprising if some expertise in this area is available. The captured Migs are ancient, so all there is to know about them is out in the open and there are no high-tech gizmos that are hard to fix/replace.

If IS starts to use these planes for combat (or one too many parade-flights), either the Syiran army or the US will pop them out of the sky without any problems. Those planes are simply too old to still be competitive against modern arms.

Part of  it is that the planes are outdated, but most of it is how effective a pilot can a guy who finds a plane in the desert be?

[WoopDeBoop]

if they really have taken to the air over Aleppo, it would mark a whole new level of military sophistication for the feared group.

Hardly.

Getting a plane like that to fly takes one or two mechanics that know what they're doing and someone capable of flying it. Considering IS contains people that used to be in the Iraqi army, it's not surprising if some expertise in this area is available. The captured Migs are ancient, so all there is to know about them is out in the open and there are no high-tech gizmos that are hard to fix/replace.

If IS starts to use these planes for combat (or one too many parade-flights), either the Syiran army or the US will pop them out of the sky without any problems. Those planes are simply too old to still be competitive against modern arms.

Part of  it is that the planes are outdated, but most of it is how effective a pilot can a guy who finds a plane in the desert be?

Seriously, what happened when the fully trained Syrian air force flew against Israel:

the Bekaa Valley Turkey Shoot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mole_Cricket_19

Imagine a couple pilots with a weeks training under their belts. It's be Turkey Shoot Reloaded, Redux, To Infinity And Beyond