Downing of Turkish jet reveals Syria’s lethality [View all]
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
= new reply since forum marked as read
