General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDowning of Turkish jet reveals Syria’s lethality
When Syria shot down an Israeli-upgraded Turkish fighter jet it was delivering a message that the air force, despite the defection of a senior pilot a day earlier, was still in control and a force to be reckoned with.
...
Nevertheless, the latest incident showcased Russian-supplied air defenses, which have just proven their lethality. Just last week, a Russian arms dealer had boasted to The New York Times that advanced weapons they were shipping to Syria could be used to down aircraft and sink ships.
"I would like to say these mechanisms are really a good means of defense, a reliable defense against attacks from the air or sea. This is not a threat, but whoever is planning an attack should think about this, Anatoly Isaykin, the general director of Rosoboronexport, was quoted as saying.
Isaykin said weaponry being shipped to Syria included the Pantsyr-S1, a radar-guided missile and artillery system capable of hitting planes at high altitudes; Buk-M2 anti-aircraft missiles; and land-based Bastion anti-ship missiles. Syria said the jet was shot down by artillery, but the Turkish daily Vatan said the system used to down the F-4 was the BUK-M2, also known as the SA-11.
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=275043
FarCenter
(19,429 posts)A second plane was reported to be hit but escaped back to Turkey. Had it been hit by a missile, this is sort of unlikely.
tabatha
(18,795 posts)I have seen no reports AT ALL of a second plane hit.
FarCenter
(19,429 posts)roamer65
(36,748 posts)I hope the Turks go in and remove the SAM batteries.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)Last edited Tue Jun 26, 2012, 09:32 AM - Edit history (2)
Assuming this report correctly identifies the type of system, and that it was a land-based missile battery that brought down the TAF RF-4E.
The Syrian state news agency, SANA, reported that according to a Syrian military spokesman, an unidentified aerial object violated the country's airspace and was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery. The aircraft crashed into Syrian territorial waters west of Om al-Tuyour village in Lattakia province, 10 kilometers from the beach.
BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18584872
NOTE 1: Latakia, the northernmost coastal city in Syria, is about 70kms south from the Turkish border. Om al-Tuyour is approx. midway.
Geography of Syria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Syria
Latakia along with Tartus are Syria's main ports on the Mediterranean sea. ...
NOTE 2: Syria claims a territorial limit of 35 nautical miles (64.8 km; 40.3 mi) off its ...
http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/turkey-calls-for-nato-meeting-over-jet-downed-by-syria-235414
Other Syrian air defense missile systems:
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)to those who only want to see war in Syria....
It was reported almost immediately that the plane was shot down in Syrian territory. Turkey however (and the propagandists) have been hard at work trying to muddy that water (heh).
Now Turkey's trying to get NATO involved.