Syrians shoot down Turkish Jet

[mavs>spurs]

One can only wonder, what were the Turks doing flying over Syria?

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/22/world/...html?hpt=hp_t2

Istanbul (CNN) -- A Turkish military jet was shot down by Syrian artillery Friday after the aircraft entered Syrian airspace, Syria's state television said.
The navies of both countries were cooperating in a search for the missing pilots, a Syrian military spokesman added.
An unidentified aircraft entered Syrian airspace shortly before noon Friday at a very low al ude and high speed, and anti-aircraft artillery shot it down a kilometer from land, the spokesman said.
While afire, the jet fell into the sea 10 kilometers, or more than six miles, from the shore of the town of Um Al-Tuyoor, the spokesman said.
Turkish plane lost near Syria
Turkey's prime minister acknowledged Friday that Syria "brought down our plane" and that a search for the pilots was "still ongoing."
Syrian opposition forces
"Turkey will make its final position clear once the event is fully uncovered and will take all necessary steps with determination," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
CIA and the Syrian opposition
The Turkish government called an emergency meeting after the warplane went missing near the border.
Erdogan said Turkish assault boats and helicopters as well as Syrian boats were conducting a search along the Mediterranean coast between the Turkish province of Hatay and the northwestern Syrian city of Latakia.
The Turkish military said the plane took off from Malatya Erhac Center and lost radar communication over the sea near Hatay province, which borders Syria.
Erdogan said there was no information on the status of the pilots.
The U.S. military is aware of the downed plane, a Department of Defense official told CNN.
"We would, of course, help with any search and recovery efforts if asked, but it's not a typical area where we would have assets close enough to assist on such short notice," the official said.
Initial reports to the U.S. military indicated that two pilots were on board, and it was possible that one or both may be alive.
The official said the United States had no confirmation the Syrians were responsible for bringing the plane down but added that "it's possible, if the plane got within range of Syria's surface-to-air missile defense system."
Any Syrian involvement in the jet's disappearance could spark a crisis.
Relations between the two neighbors have deteriorated with the bloody uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Erdogan has repeatedly called on al-Assad to step down, and Turkey has withdrawn its diplomats from Damascus.
More than 30,000 Syrian refugees have spilled onto Turkish soil, and Turkey is hosting a number of Syrian opposition groups.

[CosmicCowboy]

They didn't have to be flying over Syria and you know damn well it wasn't shot down by "artillery". Dollar to a donut (I guess I'm gonna have to stop using that expression since donuts cost almost a dollar now) a Russian sold/loaned SAM "reached out and touched them".

[Spurs da champs]

Only a few more steps to absolute chaos throughout the entire middle east.

[CosmicCowboy]

Only a few more steps to absolute chaos throughout the entire middle east.

em. Lets pick our up and go home. Let those heathen suckers work it out...I could care less.

[mavs>spurs]

em. Lets pick our up and go home. Let those heathen suckers work it out...I could care less.

this x 1000000000000000

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Turkey is a NATO member.

[MannyIsGod]

They didn't have to be flying over Syria and you know damn well it wasn't shot down by "artillery". Dollar to a donut (I guess I'm gonna have to stop using that expression since donuts cost almost a dollar now) a Russian sold/loaned SAM "reached out and touched them".

Could have easily been artillery. Why don't you think so?

[Wild Cobra]

One can only wonder, what were the Turks doing flying over Syria?

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/22/world/...html?hpt=hp_t2

Interesting that the plane was shot down over the Mediterranean. Does it surprise you that Syria would say otherwise?

[CosmicCowboy]

Could have easily been artillery. Why don't you think so?

Because they haven't made anti-aircraft artillery since WWII. Not saying it didn't bring down a lot of slow lumbering bombers back then when they filled the sky with flak but shooting down a modern jet is a whole nother ball game. Missiles are much smarter / more efficient.

[MannyIsGod]

Because they haven't made anti-aircraft artillery since WWII. Not saying it didn't bring down a lot of slow lumbering bombers back then when they filled the sky with flak but shooting down a modern jet is a whole nother ball game. Missiles are much smarter / more efficient.

Lots of very modern AAA out there man. There have been plenty developed post WW2.

[Twisted_Dawg]

Missed in this discussion is that the jet was a US made F-4 Phantom. An F-4 Phantom??
Are you kidding me? This is the jet we used in the Viet Nam war that got shot down so much. I had no idea they were still in use. I'm shocked Turkey can't afford a newer jet.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...008420668.html

"The Turkish and Syrian navies continued a joint search for the crew of the missing aircraft, an F-4 warplane, which Syria said fell into the Mediterranean Sea about six miles west of the Syrian village of Umm al-"

[MannyIsGod]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZSU-23-4_Shilka

[MannyIsGod]

Missed in this discussion is that the jet was a US made F-4 Phantom. An F-4 Phantom??
Are you kidding me? This is the jet we used in the Viet Nam war that got shot down so much. I had no idea they were still in use. I'm shocked Turkey can't afford a newer jet.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...008420668.html

"The Turkish and Syrian navies continued a joint search for the crew of the missing aircraft, an F-4 warplane, which Syria said fell into the Mediterranean Sea about six miles west of the Syrian village of Umm al-"

The rest of the world is not going to drop insane amounts on planes they don't really need. Its smart. Also, we used F4s through the mid 90s. I know they were used in the gulf war.

[MannyIsGod]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...itary_aircraft

Turkey uses it in the recon mode. Makes sense. Strap a camera pod and fly low and fast over what you want to see.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

The first F-15 went into service in the mid-1970s and it was still the finest jet in the air force as of just a few years ago. With the pilots not even wanting to get in a F-22, it probably still is.

Good engineering is good engineering and the F-4 was well designed as a multi-role fighter/bomber.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

"The Syrian anti-air defenses counteracted with anti-aircraft artillery, hitting it directly," SANA said. "The target turned out to be a Turkish military plane that entered Syrian airspace and was dealt with according to laws observed in such cases."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-...air-force-jet/

[Agloco]

em. Lets pick our up and go home. Let those heathen suckers work it out...I could care less.

Except we can't do that because:

Turkey is a NATO member.

[CosmicCowboy]

Phantoms can haul ing ass. May not be as maneuverable as f16's but still boocoo fast and with the latest upgrades still a formidable platform.

[MannyIsGod]

All you want on a recon platform is to go fast and straight. You know, so you don't get shot down.

OOPS.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Except we can't do that because:

Well if you want to pretend everyone plays by the rules, then technically Syria just declared war on the united states

[Heath Ledger]

Pass the popcorn please. This is about to get really interesting.

[Wild Cobra]

Well if you want to pretend everyone plays by the rules, then technically Syria just declared war on the united states

Not necessarily. It appears the aircraft was in Syrian territory after all.

[TDMVPDPOY]

what was the turkish plane doing in syria airspace...

[boutons_deux]

em. Lets pick our up and go home. Let those heathen suckers work it out...I could care less.

The US/UK oilcos disagree.

Could be a good time to get into oil stocks since a regional conflagration would push oil to $200+ with $100Bs in windfall for the oilcos.

[Sportcamper]

Is shooting down a Turkish plane really something to be proud of?
In LA we have survivalist that have weapons that can do that…..