Rebuilding Syria's Military

Syria's military has taken a heavy hit through almost a decade of civil war. It has lost thousands of tanks and armored vehicles to ATGMs over the course of the war, and Israeli airstrikes have worn away at its air defense systems. The loss of at least 100,000 troops in the war is the hardest thing to remedy.

Over the course of the next decade(s) Syria could begin rebuilding its army with more modern weapons to again make it competitive against its regional adversaries, like Israel and Turkey. This post will go through some of the weapons Syria could potentially obtain to again make itself a capable force against its enemies.

Syria could buy the T-90A or T-90MS from Russia. They would be limited in number, however, due to the T-90's high cost. Other than the T-14 Armata, the T-90 is Russia's most modern tank. Syria has already received small numbers of T-90As for use against rebels and ISIS, but not a significant enough number to be a threat to regional powers.

The T-90MS.

A cheaper alternative to the T-90 is the T-72B3. It is armored with Kontakt-5 ERA and is able to fire the Svir ATGM much like the T-90 is able to fire the Refleks ATGM. It is significantly cheaper than the T-90.

The T-72B3.

An even cheaper alternative is the T-72B. It has a better fire control system and better armor than the Syrian T-72AV.

The T-72B.

To upgrade Syria's BMP-1 and BMP-2 fleet, it might add the BMP-3. The BMP-3 is armed with both a 100mm gun and 30mm autocannon. The 100mm gun can fire APDS shells as well as ATGMs, making it dangerous against modern tanks, unlike the BMP1/2.

New air defense systems are critical to combating Israel's frequent strikes on Syria, as well as Turkish drones. Syria's AD force has been degraded in recent years. More modern and more numerous air defenses would be needed. Particularly medium to short range systems like the Buk-M2 and Tor-M1/2.

Syria already operates the Buk-M2E, but in relatively small numbers. More Buks should be obtained.

The Tor-M1/2 is designed to engage aircraft as well as incoming missiles. This system could shoot down Turkish drones as well as Israeli missile salvos.

The most critical weapons for an actual war with Israeli ground forces are ATGMs and RPGs. The Kornet-EM and RPG-30 are designed to deal with active protection systems by firing two missiles/rockets in rapid succession. This is crucial in defeating the Merkava tank, which is armed with the Trophy active protection system.

The Kornet-EM.

The RPG-30 fires a decoy rocket to fool the active protection system, then fires the primary tandem charge rocket to hit the tank. As these would be the cheapest item on this list, Syria could obtain these in large numbers. Israel has taken steps to try to combat this system but it is highly likely the RPG-30 would score a hit. Israel now arms most of its armored vehicles with the Trophy APS, so the RPG-30 is absolutely critical for the Syrian military to obtain.

In conclusion, the Syrian military is a shadow of what it was in 2010 and it will take years to rebuild. However, after devastating wars, nations have rebuilt not only their infrastructure but their military as well. It can be done, it will just take time and money. The latter Syria currently doesn't have much to spare.