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| The Grand Turk |
| Turkey says it shoots down regime helicopter, Syria TV reports it was drone |
| 2015-05-17 |
| [Hurriyet] ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... has announced that Turkish jets on May 16 shot down a Syrian helicopter violating its airspace, while Syrian state TV reported that it was a surveillance drone that was shot down. A Turkish F-16 that took off from the Incirlik airbase in the southern province of Adana shot down the Syrian aircraft with two Sidewinder air-to-air missiles on May 16, military officials told daily Hurriyet. It was not immediately clear what kind of aircraft was shot down. "The area is being searched for the downed aircraft. It will soon be seen if it was a plane or a helicopter," the source said. Turkish locals told daily Hurriyet that a Syrian military plane violated the Turkish border twice in the Dursunlu-Emek area of the southern border province of Hatay. They added that the aircraft fell into the Syrian side of the border in three pieces. Syrian state media said that what had been shot down was a small, remotely controlled surveillance drone, according to Rooters. In the evening, Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz said a Syrian helicopter that entered Turkish airspace shortly after 2 p.m. (1100 GMT) and flew seven miles inside, over a period of five minutes, was fired upon and shot down. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu later confirmed that the aircraft was a helicopter. "It is an important incident for Turkey to show its decisiveness," Davutoglu said, adding that the move was in accordance to Turkey's rules of engagement. "I hope that the message is taken and nobody will ever dare to violate our borders." The brief statement of the Turkish Armed Forces, on the other hand, said it shot down an aircraft, without specifying its type, and noted that its pieces fell into the Syrian side of the border. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #1 two Sidewinder air-to-air missiles not immediately clear what kind of aircraft was shot down its pieces fell into the Syrian side of the border So the first missile missed, the pilot didn't know what his target was, and it was in Syria airspace? |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2015-05-17 10:02 |