Downing of Turkish jet reveals Syria’s lethality

[tabatha]

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]

1. It was apparently on a low-altitude photo mission and was shot down by artillery

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18554246

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]

2. There is no mention of a second plane.

I have seen no reports AT ALL of a second plane hit.

[FarCenter]

4. It in the BBC article

Lebanon's al-Manar television channel - controlled by Lebanon's Shia Hezbollah movement, an ally of the Syrian government - also reported that Syrian security sources had said that "Syrian air defences shot down a Turkish warplane and hit another in Syrian airspace".

[roamer65]

3. Assad needs to be taught a lesson.

I hope the Turks go in and remove the SAM batteries.

[leveymg]

5. SA-11 has a range of 3-28kms - Turkish jet apparently was well within Syrian territory when hit.

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 Mach 3 semi-active homing 9M28M1 missile has a maximum slant range of 28 km and a minimum range of 3 km

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/row/sa-11.htm

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.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/327217#ixzz1yjgYtRGQ

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]

6. A kick for your post, not that I think it will do any good getting through

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.