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Originally posted by neformore
Of course, if you want to talk about airliners - particularly Iranian ones - we can do.
Fighter Jet Chases US Spy Drone Over Persian Gulf
An Iranian fighter jet has pursued a US surveillance drone over the Persian Gulf, the Pentagon says.
The Pentagon press secretary, George Little, said Thursday that the incident occurred on March 12 as a US Predator drone was conducting a ‘routine classified’ surveillance mission.
An Iranian F-4 aircraft approached within 16 miles (about 25 kilometers) of the drone, which was accompanied by two US military planes. United States officials did not mention the type of American planes involved.
US officials initially said one of the two planes discharged a flare as a warning to the Iranian jet. The officials, however, later denied the statement.
On March 12, Commander of Iran’s Khatam ul-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmaeili said the Islamic Republic had identified and repelled an American U2 reconnaissance plane that was trying to intrude Iran’s airspace above the Sea of Oman on February 10.
The commander further stated that the radar-evading plane left the zone after receiving a warning from Iran’s air defense units.
In November 2012, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said the military had driven away an unidentified plane violating Iran’s airspace above its territorial waters in the Persian Gulf.
Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by peck420
Then why is it that the American military is the only military that has NOT shot down an aircraft flying near their airspace (or attempted to) if they're so arrogant? Any country has the right to warn off another country operating near their aircraft as long as they are not operating over said country. A whole different set of rules come in to play then.
To date Iranian fighters have used guns in their attacks on UAVs. That prevents an errant shot hitting something else and let's them get close up camera footage to show off.edit on 3/15/2013 by Zaphod58 because: (no reason given)edit on 3/15/2013 by Zaphod58 because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by neformore
Regardless, it sets up a history of shooting at them. So why take the chance this time? It's the same as if we were intercepting Iranian aircraft and shooting at them, even if they were "accidentally" in our airspace. When they weren't, and we intercepted them, they would react the exact same way.
Originally posted by superman2012
Fighter Jet Chases US Spy Drone Over Persian Gulf
On March 12, Commander of Iran’s Khatam ul-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmaeili said the Islamic Republic had identified and repelled an American U2 reconnaissance plane that was trying to intrude Iran’s airspace above the Sea of Oman on February 10.
The commander further stated that the radar-evading plane left the zone after receiving a warning from Iran’s air defense units.
Originally posted by peck420
Um, because nobody has parked a carrier off the US coast yet...or built military bases around their country.
Unfortunately, the US and Canada will be facing this scenario inside my lifetime, which kind of sucks.
Originally posted by neformore
reply to post by Zaphod58
The problem is - and lets not beat about the bush - anyone who thinks the US hasn't violated Iranian airspace is spectacularly naive.
And that's the problem here in a lot of respects - because this isn't the Iranians being awkward. Its a response.
Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by neformore
They do, provided they don't try to interfere with another aircraft. It's exactly the same as a Russian warship warning off an American plane that gets too close. Or the Chinese colliding with our EP-3 that was in international airspace at the time (70 miles off Hainan). Where do they get off warning our planes off? They have the right to be there.
It's an amazing double standard. Anyone else does it to the US, it's ok, because it's the US. The US does the exact same thing as everyone else, and it's "Where the hell do they get the right to do that?"
Originally posted by Zaphod58
Two hypotheticals for anyone to answer.
1. An obvious military aircraft is flying 70-100 miles off your coast, in obvious international airspace. It had been there a few days, but never entered your airspace. Is it ok to interfere with it?
2. At least one, possibly multiple military aircraft flying along probing your defenses, eavesdropping on radio communications, getting radar frequencies, monitoring responses (including deliberately provoking responses). All this takes place in international airspace. Again, ok for this to happen?
13 June 1952 A US Air Force RB-29 Superfortress (44-61810) of the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, based in Yokota Japan, was shot down by Soviet fighters over the Sea of Japan, 18 miles from the Soviet coast, near Hokkaido.
Soviet MiG-15 Fagot pilots Fedotov and Proskurin reported intercepting the aircraft in the area of Valentin Bay, nine miles from the Soviet coastline. They reported that the RB-29 fired on the Soviet fighters, when intercepted. The Soviet pilots returned fire and the US plane descended, burst into flames and crashed into the water at a distance of about 18 miles from our coastline.
Official US records state that the aircraft was on a classified surveillance mission of shipping activity over the Sea of Japan. The plane was followed by radar over the course of the flight until 1320 hours at which time the radar contact was lost.
Empty life rafts were spotted by search aircraft the next day. Radio Moscow stated on June 16 stated that one officer survivor had been picked up by a Russian vessel about two days before. The name of the survivor was not given and efforts to confirm the report were unsuccessful.
The crew of Sam Busch, Robert J. McDonnell, Roscoe G. Becker, Eddie R. Berg, Leon F. Bonura, William R. Homer, Samuel D. Service, James A. Sculley, William A. Blizzard, Miguel W. Monserrat , Danny Pillsbury and David L. Moore were all listed as missing, presumed dead.
13 June 1952 Soviet MiG-15 Fagot pilot Captain Boris Osinsky, of the 483rd Fighter Aviation Regiment, shot down a Swedish SIGINT C-47 (Tp79 79001 Hugin) piloted by Alvar Almeberg, over the Baltic, near Ventspils Latvia. Everybody on board the C-47 was killed - the only wreckage found at the time was a life raft.
The C-47 was one of two, (the other being 79002 Munin, both named after Odin's ravens), together with a Ju 86 called Blondie, which supposedly belonged to the so called 6 Transportflyggruppen at F 8, which at that time had a staff of twelve. In reality they were used for SIGINT duties, the C-47s fitted out with five operator stations, the operators belonging to FRA (Försvarets Radioanstalt = the Radio Establishment of the Defense).
In June 2003, Swedish searchers found the wreckage of the C-47 on the bottom of the Baltic in international waters near Gotska Sandoen island, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of the Swedish coastline. The wreckage was raised during the night of March 19/20 2004 and returned to Sweden.
8 May 1954 Three US Air Force RB-47E Stratojet reconnaissance planes took off from RAF Fairford in England. Two of the Stratojets flew as airborne spares and turned back before the overflight began. The remaining plane penetrated Soviet airspace near Murmansk.
The plane flew over numerous Soviet air fields and naval facilities conducting photographic reconnaissance and making radar scope images of the various facilities. The RB-47E continued to Arkhangelsk before turning west and heading back to England. The USAF plane was intercepted by MiG fighters after being over Soviet territory for about 50 miles. Initially, MiG-15 Fagots were spotted, but a short time later a flight of MiG-17 Frescos appeared.
The operational deployment of the MiG-17 was a significant surprise to the crew of the RB-47. When the MiG-17s climbed to approximately the same altitude as the reconnaissance plane (38,000 feet) they opened fire. The Soviet fighters each made single shooting passes at the USAF plane. The RB-47 was equipped with a tail gun controlled by the copilot and returned fire but did not hit any of the Soviet planes.
One MiG was able to hit the Stratojet with several rounds and caused moderate damage to the wing and fuselage. Before the MiGs were able to shoot down the USAF plane, it crossed the border into Finland and the MiGs broke off the attack. However, during the attack the RB-47's fuel tanks were hit and the plane nearly ran out of fuel before it was met by a Boeing KC-97 tanker for in-flight refueling. The RB-47E landed safely in England a short time later.
Originally posted by Zaphod58
Originally posted by superman2012
Fighter Jet Chases US Spy Drone Over Persian Gulf
On March 12, Commander of Iran’s Khatam ul-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmaeili said the Islamic Republic had identified and repelled an American U2 reconnaissance plane that was trying to intrude Iran’s airspace above the Sea of Oman on February 10.
The commander further stated that the radar-evading plane left the zone after receiving a warning from Iran’s air defense units.
Oh dear god, thanks for the laugh. The U-2 radar evading? That's funny. It's about as radar evading as a 757.edit on 3/15/2013 by Zaphod58 because: (no reason given)
The commander further stated that the radar-evading plane left the zone after receiving a warning from Iran’s air defense units.
Originally posted by peck420
You keep posting up about a 'history of shooting at drones', but have zero proof that US drones don't invade Iranian air space.
OVER CESAR RODRIGUEZ’S desk hangs a macabre souvenir of his decades as a fighter pilot. It is a large framed picture, a panoramic cockpit view of open sky and desert. A small F‑15 Eagle is visible in the distance, but larger and more immediate, filling the center of the shot, staring right at the viewer, is an incoming missile.
It is a startling picture, memorializing a moment of air-to-air combat from January 19, 1991, over Iraq. Air-to-air combat has become exceedingly rare. Even when it happens, modern fighter pilots are rarely close enough to actually see the person they are shooting at. This image recalls a kill registered by Rodriguez, who goes by Rico, and his wingman, Craig Underhill, known as Mole, during the Gulf War.
A special-operations team combed the Iraqi MiG’s crash site, and this was one of the items salvaged, the last millisecond of incoming data from the doomed Iraqi pilot’s HUD, or head-up display. It was the final splash of light on his retinas, probably arriving too late for his brain to process before being vaporized with the rest of his corporeal frame. Pilots like Rodriguez don’t romanticize such exploits. These are strictly matter-of-fact men from a world where war is work, and life and death hang on a rapidly and precisely calibrated reality, an attitude captured by the flat caption mounted on the frame: THIS IS AN AIM-7 AIR-TO-AIR MISSILE SHOT FROM AN F‑15 EAGLE DETONATING ON AN IRAQI MIG‑29 FULCRUM DURING OPERATION DESERT STORM.