Time and again, the VKS has concentrated up to 25 Tu-22M-3 bombers from all of its operational units – or more than a third of its entire fleet – for operations in Syria. Six of them were forward deployed at Nojeh AB in Iran in August 2016. Whether originally acquired by the VKS, or former mounts of the Naval Aviation (like the example shown on the main artwork here, Bort ‘57 Red’, RF-34079) all the aircraft were painted in the same medium grey on upper surfaces and sides, and dielectric white on lower surfaces. Some of the former Naval Aviation aircraft still show their ‘sharkmouth’ insignia, first seen in the mid-2000s, while at least one Tu-22M-3 (Bort ‘24 Red’, RF-95154’ shown in inset) was named after ‘Mikhail Shidovsky’. Their principal weapons for attacks on Syria consisted of OFAB-250-270 and FAB-500M-62 bombs, but at least one FAB-3000M54 – probably the biggest conventional weapon of the Syrian War at 3000kg – was deployed too. (Artwork by Tom Cooper)